I’ll admit it. Sometimes I can be pretty lazy when it comes to deep cleaning my house. A quick pick-up is definitely easier and quicker!
Last week we had friends over for an Irish dinner.
And I didn’t clean my house!
It was an internal war inside—do I vacuum, dust and clean or just let it go?
What will my guests think?
Do they even notice?
Would I rather continue on with what had already been a peaceful day or kick it into high gear, running around crazily trying to make everything look just right?
I won’t even mention what kind of mood that puts the whole family in.
When it comes to hospitality, we often lose our focus as life gets hurried and complicated. We dash around doing things that really don’t matter (like cleaning my house before the guests arrive), and then our perspective shifts. We get so caught up in our present circumstances, trying to make things so perfect, that we can’t see beyond our difficulties.
That is when frustration sets in!
We had such a great time with our guests. At one point, I found myself looking down at the un-vacuumed carpet. For a split second, I was embarrassed.
Then I looked up into the faces of those around our table and my perspective shifted back into place.
It’s not about the crumbs on the floor or the unorganized piles around the house. It’s not even that I am lazy when it comes to house cleaning. I just tend to have a very busy, hectic schedule at times and I’m trying to prioritize what really matters.
I’d rather keep strong friendships going than give them up for a clean house.
Does your house have to been perfectly clean before you’ll invite others in?
