I can hear the sound of the shoes my mother would chuck up the stairs. Banging against the wall and then landing in a scattered heap of nasty, smelly sneakers, cleats, shoes, and whatever else she found in her path with the vacuum cleaner on a mission to sweep away the debris of chaos.

But wow, ain’t life easier when we put things away. When your small space of life is organized, and bears some semblance of order, then you can have clarity in your calm moments. You can actually see the future, the path you want to take, the challenges you may face, and have time to prepare. Life is consistently throwing things in our path. If we put things away, we won’t stumble over the kid’s shoes, the laundry basket, the never ending pile of Amazon boxes, the pile of clothes, or the dog. If we know where to find the things we need, we can calmly contemplate the future and stay strong enough to put out the positive energy our world needs right now.

So, now I will muster all the armor and strength I need to ask the occasionally mindlessly careless but lovable and loyal humans under my roof to pick up after themselves. I will patiently listen to the horrible burden I am placing on them. And I will probably dodge a pillow or insult or a vitriolic stream of venting spleen. But hey, when you are right you are right. And if we put away our things, then not only will I not need another knee surgery for a disastrous fall down the stairs, or a new shoulder as I catch myself tripping over a well-placed pile of STUFF- we will have the calm, peace and serenity in our spaces to be able to dream. And ponder the possibilities of life beyond the pandemic.

That’s all I got for today. Thanks for coming.