Life Happened Yesterday

I can't really explain what happened here. Sadly, it is a common phenomenon in our home. My kitchen can go from spotless, to this in two days. I am considering submitting this photo to the I Spy book series in hopes that they might feature it in a future publication.

I spy half eaten bowls of cereal. I spy children's artwork and homework. I spy a pretty cool Lego Dwarf kingdom labored on by a  boy who can think of little more than all things Hobbit these days. I spy a teenager's boots. I spy yesterday's dirty dishes as well as yesterday's groceries, still not put away. I spy remnants of school projects and book reports. I could go on and on. 

How does all of this stuff accumulate so quickly? And why does it take me so long to get it all back under control? I think I know why. My house looks like this because life happened yesterday. This photo is evidence that life is being lived with full vigor in the Watson home.

I suppose I would have had time to put those groceries away if my husband hadn't offered to take me on a lunch date the minute I walked through the door with said groceries. I suppose I could have come home and immediately begun cleaning rather than spending one precious hour scrapbooking, an activity that left me invigorated and grateful for a beautiful family and happy life. I could have done dishes instead of spelling words. Perhaps I should have told my son that he couldn't be in the school play because the inconvenience of picking him up from the school was contributing to my messy house. I might have had time to clean, if I hadn't been trying to maintain quiet in the home while Jessica conducted private cello lessons in my living room. 

I most certainly would have gone to bed with a clean kitchen if I had not gone to the temple like the Stake President had so humbly requested. And when friends met us outside the temple and invited us to catch some ice cream with them, perhaps my response should have been, "I'm sorry, but I have a cluttered kitchen waiting for me at home. Maybe some other time."

The stuff piles up in this house because there are six people living very full, very rich lives in this house, lives rich with music, service, creativity, education, passion, and religion. There will come a day when I will say, "Remember the good ol' days when...?" These are the good ol' days. I'm living them right now. Recent events have reminded me that this life is precious, that my husband is dear to me, that my children are my greatest joy, and that friends are important.

Is cleanliness and order a priority to me? You bet. Will I allow myself to sacrifice such order, if it means dating my husband, cherishing my children, enjoying my friends, and worshipping my God? Yes. Every time. Without a single regret. Better sign off now, I have a kitchen to clean. I suppose that I will only get it half cleaned, because you see, I have life to go about living.