Stop cleaning your house and clean your mind

I am lucky enough to be staying with relatives this week, in a beautiful house in the middle of the countryside.

I am completely relaxed, have no demands on me and aside the odd bit of reading and writing I am happy to just Be.

Yesterday I sank into the comfiest armchair, looked out at the stunning view and before I knew it 2 hours had passed in a haze of conscious contentment.

I am feeding my body and soul with complete rest as that is what I need and deserve at the moment and I make no apologies for it.

However I do question if I would be able to do this at home. Aside from the obvious commitments many of us have to work, home and family how often do we say "I will just sit down when I have finished . . . . ", "five more minutes and I will relax". I don't know about you but for me, five minutes never comes, I always spot something else that 'needs' doing straight away.

Previous generations had genuine reasons for keeping busy, a lack of home appliances meant keeping house was hard work. With carpets to beat, clothes to wash by hand and wring dry and dishes to manually do, coupled with larger families to feed, meant spare time was a rare treat to be treasured.

Why is it then that with most of us having homes filled with electric wizardry to make tasks so much easier we are in fact busier than ever? We focus far more on the 'stuff' and often put our internal wellbeing behind our exte
al world which we relentlessly strive to keep in perfect order. An impossible task with so many of us having jobs, homes and families.

We need to accept that housework never ends, it will never be finished. The problem is not within our homes but within our minds. There is a huge difference between being restful and being lazy. We need quiet time to cultivate some inner peace and ensure our bodies and minds are in alignment. Something eventually has to give - don't let it be you.

If we cleaned our minds through meditation as much as we cleaned our homes how much more rewarding would our lives be? Rather than looking around at sparkling surfaces and floors we would have that sense of fulfilment within ourselves permanently. How great would that be?

Of course we can say we want things to be perfect for our families, I want my home to be clean and tidy and a nice environment, I know though that given the choice my partner would rather have a bit of mess and dust and me happy and peaceful rather than a show home and a totally worn out and stressed girlfriend.

Now put the duster down, make a drink and go sit. Nobody will think any less off you. Rather than obsessively looking after your home start looking after yourself, you are worth far more.