boring women have immaculate homes

When I was in elementary school, I waited for the bus at a friend's house around the block. On the refrigerator in their perpetually messy kitchen was a magnet proclaiming 'Boring women have immaculate homes!" I'm sure it was a tongue-in-cheek way for the lady of the house to laugh off her domestic chaos, and as I remember that family--I actually agree with the statement. They were a wonderfully colorful group of people, very loving and fun. The mother would drop anything to climb a tree with her kids or do a puzzle. I remember a puzzle of some ships on the ocean that sat unfinished for the better part of a year on their dining room table; we'd piece it together a few at a time.
Their house was far from immaculate! But their lives were rich, interesting, and there was a very relaxed vibe in that house--of acceptance, of the ability to LIVE there, without worrying about making a mess or damaging anything within.
Before my mom died, I feel like my home was that way. We had very casual decor, nothing fancy at all. The carpeting in the family room was a patchwork of remnants glued to the floor--I remember a game I'd play with myself, hopping from one red piece to another to move about the room.
When my stepmother moved in, things changed dramatically. She furnished and carpeted and decorated--we weren't allowed to wear our shoes in the house. In fact, we weren't allowed to be in the living room unless we were practicing piano. Every Saturday morning was spent doing chores that involved dusting, vacuuming, laundry, etc. It was an immaculate home. And... dare I say it... she as a boring person (at least to a kid. Well, her and I didn't exactly have much to say to each other in later years either. But I will say she was quite the housekeeper.)
I wrestle with this concept this morning, as my daughter sleeps and I ponder dozens of things I could be doing with the precious hour or so. I decided to clean the house... and then found myself thinking, why is it SO important that my house be immaculate? Its relatively neat, it was cleaned thoroughly last weekend, wouldn't it be much more rewarding to my soul to do something creative or stress-relieving or to just sit and BE for a moment?
So, I made myself a delicious vanilla breve latte, grabbed the Sunday paper and my doggies, and went out on the deck.
And now I'm listening to my iPod on shuffle and blogging.
And in a minute I'm going to check out craigslist and see if I can find Elise a new white dresser.
I love Sundays. And I'm glad, for just this once, that I was able to not be a boring woman with an immaculate home. It won't happen every Sunday, but its good enough for today. :-)
I do love having a clean house and it does make me crazy to live in chaos, but knowing what you need to nourish your spirit is far superior to being a slave to obligation "just because."
Salute! Happy Sunday, everyone!