Dust Me Maybe

I know it’s time to polish the furniture when I can just skip the sticky notes and write my list in the dust. The obvious first item on the list is ‘dust me maybe.’

Having been raised with a ‘Saturday is house cleaning day’ work ethic, I grew up liking neat and tidy. (However, we will not discuss, ahem…piles in this post; that is for another day, just like those piles…)

Unless we have become OCD about house cleaning, though, sometimes it is tempting to simply look at it and keep on going. There are more exciting ways to spend one’s discretionary time than chasing dust bunnies.

Eventually the vague sense of discontent and cluttered mind woos me back to a cleaning date with the vacuum, mop and can of lemon Pledge. My outlook brightens when things are clean and tidy again.

In one’s Pie of Life there is a slice that has everything to do with caring for the things with which we have been blessed. However, too much of a good thing – or things – can rival the suction of a Hoover and suck the enthusiasm right out of us.

Unfortunately, it not only leaves us with the belongings of life sending up dusty smoke signals to try and get our attention, but other areas of life – that once were so fresh and life-giving – have been relegated to the cobwebs ‘r us department. Here are a few for our consideration with dust rag in hand:

Something Old – If I were a bettin’ woman, I’d wager a guess that people who like to write had ink in their veins from the time they were small.

Whether it stems from being read to as a child; an enjoyment of words; a love for reading; putting thoughts together in a well-written manner; winning spelling bees; study of language and grammar – whatever the catalyst – if a writer doesn’t write, something is missing. Ultimately, words waiting to be spoken and read quietly gather dust like an old Remington typewriter laid to rest.

Writing may not be your ‘something old’ that is gathering dust. So what is it you need to do or something is missing? Can you name it? Do you remember?

Relationships – We’ve all heard about those relationships that are tried and true. Perhaps we’ve been graced to have one in our life. You know the kind – the one where you haven’t seen someone for three years, but you pick up right where you left off and finish each other’s sentences. How? Because there was investment made in spending time together. Talking and sharing was something practiced that formed a comfortable bond and a trusting heart.

You may have such a relationship that needs to be dusted off. Come to think of it, how long has it been? If the answer is ‘too long!’, a phone call, email, note, or visit will help to remove that dusty layer so your friendship can shine again.

Gifts and Skills – I never learned to play an instrument – only the radio – but some of you have been blessed with natural talent or ability from years of lessons and practice. The question here is, “What’s in your closet?” Maybe it’s not a dusty cello standing forlornly in the shadows, but a piano that you walk by every single day. In dire need of dusting, incidentally 🙂 Perhaps athletic equipment or woodworking tools?

Possibly your ‘dusty cello’ is an innate capacity to craft stunning floral arrangements (I have a friend who discovered her happy knack for creating balloon arrangements!), or take a room from blah to oooh! with a can of paint and creative decor. Maybe you once loved creating an hospitable atmosphere but a lot of life dust has clouded your vision from finding a way to enjoy it once again.

These few examples are just the tip of the iceberg. For every person that reads this post, there is a gift, skill, or natural ability either flourishing or lurking within you. Do you really want to pronounce over it, ‘from dust you are and to dust you shall return’ and let it die a slow, forgotten death? I vote for its life.

Perspective – Sometimes we need to take the proverbial ‘can of Pledge’ to our way of looking at things. The longer and more closely we walk out life with the Lord, the more His way of thinking and viewing things leaves gleaming streaks down the trail of our dusty perceptions. Nothing quite refreshes and restores the original beauty of our life grain as spending quality time with Mr. Clean.

He is more than capable of cleaning the windows of our obscured vision, or cutting in a window where none has been before. At times, the overgrown foliage on the other side of the pane needs the clippers taken to it. When done, we are often the most amazed creature on earth over what we couldn’t or didn’t see before that was blooming out there all along, awaiting our notice.

Maybe it’s time to remove the ‘maybe’ from ‘dust me maybe’. What in life do you hear saying ‘dust me’?

If you would like help with dusting off some things, the Coaching Maid is in. Certified dust bunny chaser.

~ Nancy – from the Archives

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