It's amazing what you can get done when you set your mind to it. A clean house can make a person feel so good.

My mother tells a story about herself. When she was a young woman with 3 children, she and her cousin took turns watching each other's kids so they could have some time off. Her cousin would really enjoy herself by dressing up and going out to lunch and the movies with her friends. My mother, on the other hand, would clean the apartment and do the laundry. When done, she would feel wonderful. Her accomplishment brought her great joy. My mother relates a time when she had cleaned her floor. We're talking about on her hands and knees. She yelled at us kids to lean over the table and not get crumbs on the floor. This made my father angry, and he purposely knocked a gallon of milk on the floor. My mother cried; all her hard work was gone. My mother kept a spotless home. Looking back, she says she thinks it was a 'sickness'. If she happened to be laying down, she'd think she should be doing the laundry or sweeping and she would get up and do it so she wouldn't feel guilty. When she was done, she'd lay down again until she heard my Dad's car. She'd jump out of bed so he wouldn't know she'd been idle. My mother had a bad stroke 6 years ago at the age of 68. She can no longer clean the house. Her greatest frustration is not being able to do this.

I too get a great sense of accomplishment from seeing my house sparkling clean. I, however, would feel just as good if someone else would do it for me. I love standing back and seeing the result of my hard work. That's how I feel today. My house is ready to party.