Mopping

Mopping

I love it. It's great. Now sweeping, that is a whole different game
entirely. You see, I see sweeping as I kind of double-whammy. There is
the sweeping, an arduous and strenuous task in itself, and then there
is the - putting the broom away, getting the dust pan and brush and
sweeping up what you have just swept. Double-whammy.

And sweeping just isn't mopping. I haven't quite figured out my
preferred method of sweeping. Is it pulling or pushing? Obviously
pulling is required for getting under the tables and other obstacles,
but on the main open floor, should I push or pull? Or perhaps a bit of
each? It's like brushing your teeth - up and down? Side to side? Or
round in circles. No-one does round in circle - come on!

But mopping. Now mopping has many excellent features. Firstly, there is
the bucket filling. This is a great bit. Mainly because I get to stand
still for a few minutes and relax, while I wait and yet still feel
completely justified that I am working hard. I also love squidging and
squeezing the mop. I like the sound it makes, and it gives me the
feeling that I am squeezing fruit, which is always pleasant. Is that
just me? And I have pretty much perfected my mopping technique and have
a lot of fun with it - you know, making pictures on the floor with the
wet patches, and then eventually joining them all up. I love the
finished effect though - I think that is because I have a passion for
shiny things. I love shininess (did I just make that up?) And I love
the floor looking all shiny and smooth. Like looking at a fresh sheet
of snow, or a stretch of sand with no footprints. It's always a
disappointment when it's dry though - shame that!

In an even deeper way, I love the feeling that I have touched
something, and helped return it closer to its pure and virginal state.
Washing it clean of its sins, and removing all of the blemishes and
filth that life has tarnished it with. I think it helps make me feel
godly.

If only I could feel this way about sweeping. I feel that sweeping, and
then using the dustpan and brush is more giving attention to the dirt
and the filth, and I am not interested in that. I don't want anything
to do with the dirt, I just want to care for the floor. I know that you
have to sweep away the grime before you can mop the floor, but I want
to skip the sweeping and get straight down to the mopping. Wham bam
thank you mam.

I have decided to try to become a more sensitive and thoughtful
mop-lover, and try to love the sweeping too. I am going to try to
understand that I must sweep away the dirt before I can care for the
floor. That even though the mopping is the best part, the sweeping is
equally as important. The two are symbiotic, they feed off each other.
Without the sweeping, the mopping would suffer and be more difficult.
And without the mopping, the sweeping could not perform a successful
task. It can not be part of the perfect picture; it would be a job half
done. It can make the floor look un-dirty. But it can not make it look
clean. It can not wipe away the spilled drinks dirty footprints.

I feel guilty now for being so harsh on sweeping. For not appreciating
it for what it was. And for giving special attention to mopping. I feel
like I have wrongly loved one and hated the other, where as I should
have loved both equally, for their uniquity. How could I have been so
terribly judgmental? How could I have caused such segregation? Why did
I feel the urge to turn one simple thing into two opposite feelings?
When I could have loved both so easily, I created opposing factors,
liking one and hating the other. Why did I do that? Why could I not
just love both the same? Why?

OH.........GET OVER IT.