Sweeping the house might seem like nothing special, but if you pay close attention, it's quite enjoyable. After a night's work, the house looks normal at first glance, but if you pick up the broom and reach into the nooks and crannies, you'll find dust, cobwebs, even rat and lizard droppings, and a few strands of hair... While sweeping, you also check the plugs and power cords for any misalignment, damage from rodents, or short circuits.
Every morning when I sweep the house, my favorite part is cleaning the kitchen. First, I check the leftover food from the night before. The braised fish still in the small pan is reheated over the fire, the sauce simmering and emitting a fragrant aroma. The rice in the electric rice cooker is scooped out; if there's a lot, it becomes lunch for the dogs, if there's little, I spread it out to dry in the sun, or if there's still a little, I generously toss it over the fence for the neighbor's chickens. Next, the pot is washed and placed upside down to wait for lunch. The spice tray is always full and rarely dusty. None of the onions or garlic are rotten because they are checked almost every day.
And so, every corner of the room, every cupboard, every table and chair, every potted plant, even the ramp for the motorbike, was adjusted to be aesthetically pleasing. While I was doing these seemingly ordinary tasks, the outside world was bathed in a rosy hue, the air was cool and still damp with dew, and the aroma of food filled the air, making me feel like I was transported back to my childhood, often accompanying my mother to the fields early in the morning. Seeing the tidy house brightening in the morning light was like seeing a perfectly uniform field of green rice seedlings at dawn. It was incredibly refreshing.
While doing a thorough house cleaning, I always find a lost earring back, hair curlers, or some rusty bobby pins. Even better, I'm delighted to discover a familiar yet unique hand-embroidered item, reminiscing about when I acquired it...
Dominique Loreau, author of a book on stress published in France, surprised the public by concluding that housework can help reduce stress. Many other studies have also shown that a clean house makes us feel refreshed, as if our brains have been cleansed. If you haven't found a way to start your day feeling energized and motivated, sweeping the house is a helpful and effective solution.
For me, and perhaps for many others, cleaning is not simply a chore. Tidying up the smallest space around me is a way to cultivate a proactive and profound life. While cleaning, I often feel more connected to my family and the space around me, seeing everything constantly moving, changing, disappearing, and then reappearing. From there, my senses are awakened, and my emotions are nurtured by simple things, like noticing my pet dogs are shedding, my neighbor going to the market a little early today, or wondering if the elderly lady next door was sick with a fever last night, and why she hasn't woken up to gather leaves for a fire yet...
Even just sweeping the floor, a small task, makes me feel alive, filled with love, responsibility, and a deep connection to life.
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