Once the dust settles
unfortunate combination of mud, rocks, and gravel. Excluding the tiny house that our son and his wife built nestled in a stand of cedars, our nearest neighbors are the cows that graze on the far side of the rickety fence. It is country living at it's finest--except for the dust and dirt.
I probably vacuum the rug in front of the kitchen sink at least twice a day. Now understand, I am not a clean freak but once the dirt and debris carried in on shoe bottoms covers a substantial percentage of the surface area, I am compelled to do something about it. But that is not the worst of it.
When the morning sun streams in through the need-to-be-washed windows, a fine layer of dust is revealed. Coffee table. Countertops. Stove top. Everywhere. Even the air itself seems filled with tiny particles that take great pleasure in frolicking about. How does this happen? How can it be? Honestly, I try to keep a tidy house but those dust-laden sunbeams deflate my feelings of domestic competence.
So what to do? On the sun-drenched days I grab a damp sponge and swipe it across the dust-lined surfaces illuminated by the light, almost in disbelief at this new crop of dust generated overnight. I feel a little better once the dust has been captured in my sponge and washed down the drain. Poetic justice. From dust to dust...
But what about the mornings when it is cloudy and overcast, much like today when the cold mist and lingering flurries add to the length of icicles hanging from the tree branches? Is there any less dust compared to a sunny morning? Doubtful. I suspect that the ugly truth is this: The dust has once again settled. I'm just not as bothered by it because the lack of bright sun fails to reveal the mess.
Should I be bothered? Probably, though obsessing about it may be ill-advised. Still, there is likely a life lesson to be learned between the Brownian movement of the ubiquitous particles of dust.
I tend to pay attention to the obvious and ignore the discreet. Perhaps I would do well to consider the not-so-obvious and address the situation for what it is.
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