This past weekend I was in a cleaning frenzy.

Now, I must confess to the fact that as I get older, these frenzies seem to occur less frequently over time. But this weekend I suddenly found myself cleaning out all the closets and hauling stuff by the box loads to the trash can. I even managed to clean out the laundry room, which was a daunting tak let me tell you, since that room had become the catch-all for everything. It's amazing how much stuff we accumulate that we don't really need but we thought we just had to have it at the time.
 
While I was cleaning I was reminded of Granny. Granny would deep clean, as she called it, once a year. That was the time for the baseboards to get dusted, the walls mopped with pine sol, the lamp shades vacuumed and the curtains washed and pressed. We call this spring cleaning now, but then I called it pure torture. Granny was a harsh task master and loved to stand over us with the proverbial white glove to inspect our handy work.
 
One day I asked her, "Granny, why don't you ever help us with all this cleaning?" and her response was, "Son, every job needs a supervisor. Besides, that's why kids are out of school during spring break, to help spring clean." I never inquired again. Gradually as the years passed and I entered my teenage  years, I stopped going to Granny's for the big week of cleaning and eventually she reached the age to where it was no longer important.
 
Which is the basis for another discussion, why is it that as we get older the things that used to matter to us seem to no longer have consequence? Like keeping the house immaculate, having dinner on the table everyday by six. If we could begin our life with the attitudes we leave it with, how much simpler and happier life would be. But with age comes wisdom for instance as we are building our lives we strive to accumulate those objects that reflect our hard work, we max out the credit cards and strap ourselves with hefty mortgages. As we grow older we realize that if it can't be bought with cash, we don't need it. And we start giving away the very objects that once meant so much to us and our lives.  
 
Now, twenty years after Granny passed away and I have entered my late thirties I wish I could help her clean just one more time. However, as I worked in my house this weekend I could hear her say, "Son, you missed a spot. Every job needs a supervisor." I suppose she's still watching over my shoulder, guiding me along the way.