Things that Lurk in the Shaodwy Recesses

Today, I moved my washer and dryer and scrubbed behind them...and all I can say about that is ICK, GROSS, and EWWWWWWW!!!!

What prompted me to pull out the washer and dryer you ask? Well, let me tell you...last night, I put a load of pants/jeans in the washer, and went to bed before it was finished, knowing full well that I had to be out of the house by 8:30 this morning, and that I'd be hard pressed to drag my rear out of bed any earlier...

SO, this morning, I hauled my little self out of bed, stumbled downstairs, tossed the pants in the dryer and started it, not realizing it was on air only, no heat... I then proceeded to go back upstairs and get myself ready for day.

I came down for breakfast, sans pants (no comments here folks, it was only 7am, and there is no that is still home at that time of day in my cul-de-sac), and started the coffee. I went to my laundry room, discovered the error with the operator of the dryer, corrected it, and went into hyper mode getting animals and children ready, packing up my bags of stuff to take to my Moms' group, making breakfast for myself and BB...

At 8, everything was ready, and I went to grab my jeans, only to discover that they were still a tad damp...I threw them on anyway, loaded up the car, and headed out. I arrived home after a full day of running around doing errands, and checked the rest of the laundry in the dryer (this is why I rarely leave a load unfinished) only to find things still damp. I started the dryer, and went out to bring in the groceries. When I cam back in, the dryer was making a hideous noise and for some reason my mind said "Oh, something must be caught!" SO, in my infinite wisdom, I turned it off, and pulled it out from the wall...(aren't I smart?) I discovered just how gross it was...there was 6 years worth of accumulated dirt, grime, pet kibble, safety pins, extra buttons, quarters, stickers, receipts that BB accused me of throwing out...and a piece of my favorite necklace that broke sometime back and hasn't been fixed. I also discovered a fine layer of schmut...you know, that layer of something that was wet underneath, and then the lint and pet hair get stuck to it making it stinky and sticky and downright disgusting? Yeah, that stuff...not satisfied to do only half a job, I pulled out the washer, to find more of the same...shuddering and attempts to not lose my lunch ensued while I scrubbed on my hands and knees the layers upon layers of nastiness that had been hiding behind my appliances that get used every stinking day!

Now, to my main point...

It struck me, as I was crawling on my floor with towel and brush and cleaner in hand, that isn't it funny how we can let things go that seem small, but turn out to be absolutely revolting?

Think about it...how many of us will head out the door to go to Church, work, drop the kids somewhere, do the errands, and have the kids passably clean in clothes that, if they don't match, are at least mostly clean, their shoes are tied or buckled, and you attempted to comb their hair, you yourself attempt to look clean, fresh, not run down...sometimes, you're even dressed nice, hair and make up done, and on the really good days, you're even accessorized...only to close your door on the stacks of laundry, pile of dirty dishes, toys heaped, dog food spilled on the floor, something for dinner defrosting somewhere passably clean on your counter, crumbs on the table, stuck to the orange juice that was spilled at breakfast...

Day in and day out, we struggle to "keep up" with the daily things that are necessary to life - laundry, bills, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, cooking, only to do it again the next day, and the next...

And then, suddenly, you get the call or email that you have company coming on a certain date, and they'll be there for dinner or lunch or whatever...and you plan grandly to do something each day, declutter, scrub a little extra here, polish there...and then, the night before the event, you scramble around for hours doing a whirlwind clean, shoving things in closets, drawers, under beds, in the extra freezer, or in the backseat of the car that is parked in the garage...

And the public areas of our life are so shiny clean, and we're so perversely proud that our spice cabinet is alphabetized and broken down by "cooking" and "baking", or that the Jell-O is organized alphabetically, and our closet is arranged by color and season...but we have that drawer, that cabinet, that spot under our stove, or behind the refrigerator that never gets looked at, until suddenly, the repair man, or the delivery guy with the new shiny appliance shows up at your door, and casually makes the comment "You know, your machine will be more efficient and last longer if you clean under and behind it once a year or so"...and you're mortified that someone saw the messiness...

What about when the elder of your Church, or your pastor sees you out to dinner with your buddies, and you're sitting there, a member of the choir, Sunday School teacher, Small Group Leader, and you're drinking your 3rd beer, listening to the guys talk about "the rack on the waitress", and you say nothing...

Why is it that we are so worried with the "big" things like how we look on the outside at Church, and that we arrive smiling and happy, so no one will know that you were screaming at your children and husband 10 seconds before you got out of the car in the parking lot?

Why do we let things like watching violence, swearing or sex on TV go by, thinking "I don't let the kids watch", and then you slip up, swearing in front of the neighbor kids, or getting caught looking at an "adult only" site on your PC...thinking "It was just once", or "No one else looks there"...

What happens to us when we let those things go...building up time after time?

All I know is that for me, I don't want the repairman seeing the grime under my washing machine, so I'm going to try harder to keep even the hidden areas under control...