Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction

Observations... On the Renewal of Spring and Spring Cleaning

The transition from winter to spring is often something that people look forward to. It is a time when the cold of winter is replaced by the warmth of spring and a once barren wasteland becomes alive and thriving once more. The cold snow begins to melt away, revealing the green grass and early flowers beneath. The trees, once bare and naked, begin to dress themselves in fresh new foliage. The birds that left for the winter begin to return and the air is filled with their twitters and songs. Soon there will be a rash of new life as other animals, perhaps roaming alone during the cold months, find each other and baby animals are born. Even the insects, conspicuously absent throughout the winter, return in force to go about their business, pollinating flowers and “bugging” people with their buzz and bite.

There is nothing quite like the first thaw of spring. The slush melt beneath your boots, the sun shining down on you, and finally being able to go out without the hassle of a heavy coat, scarf, and earmuffs. While most folks look forward to spring and the renewal of life that comes along with it, there are a few folks who aren’t so pleased to see the arrival of spring. For these people, spring means the arrival of the dreaded spring cleaning.

Spring cleaning, the scourge of every housewife and stay at home mom, or dad, in the northland, can be a renewing but terribly difficult task. It requires an effort and determination that normal household cleaning will not satisfy. Everything must be aired out and dusted. All the old and broken must be hauled away. Things must be packed up and placed in storage until next winter and other things must be unpacked put away for use in the spring and summer. Furniture gets moved around, rearranged and vacuumed under. Bookshelves get organized and pantries and refrigerators get cleaned out. Every nook and cranny is explored and swept. Every surface is polished until it shines. Every sheet is pressed or ironed so there is not a wrinkle or a crease to be found. Until at last, it is finished. Your home is spotless and clean. You can finally sit back and relax. You can enjoy a well organized home and breathe in a breath of dust and dirt free air. Until the kids come home with mud on their shoes to innocently spoil this hard earned perfection.

But in its own way, spring cleaning can be a renewing and fulfilling experience. As the winter gives way to spring and new life emerges from the barren waste, the dirt and mess of neglect gives way to a clean and revitalized home. Hard work has its own rewards, and having a clean home can give you a chance to relax and get away from your troubles, even if it is only temporary.

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