The President’s Coming!
It began years ago. It was evening, we had finished a large but mediocre dinner, the house was a mess, and we were cranky and unmotivated.
I certainly was cranky and unmotivated. My chore was sweeping and it came after all the others. The way my siblings were dragging their feet, I would have to wait an hour or more before I could begin. I would be up all night—forever, I reflected with typical middle-school drama.
If only we could be given some real motivation. If only someone were coming, a guest so important that we couldn't be languid about cleaning. It came to me.
What would we do if it we learned that the President would be visiting our home in fifteen minutes? We had experience with unexpected guests, and knew that a surprising lot of cleaning could be done if you were quick about it.
I told everyone my idea, and they were enthusiastic. Nobody wanted to do their chores, and were open to anything that would give it more interest. There is nothing we find so motivating as a self-issued challenge.
The timer was ceremoniously set for fifteen minutes. My finger hovered over the "Start" button and everyone poised tensely over the sink, the broom, the damp cloth. "GO!" The cry was raised, and the kitchen erupted into an industrious din. (We didn't break anything.)
There were four able-bodied children working and those who finished their own assigned work helped the others without a word. After all, the President was coming. The kitchen and dining room were spotless in ten minutes. Ten minutes. Well, nine minutes and fifty-four seconds, to be quite exact. The leftovers were properly stored; the dishes were cleared, loaded, hand-washed; the table and counter-tops were gleaming; the floor was swept and then mopped with essential oils; the garbage, recycling, and compost were taken out. We were breathless, laughing, and very impressed with ourselves.
We played this game (because it was a game, and a very good one) quite a few times. We played it when there was a big meal to clean, when we had chores to do before we could enjoy a treat, when the playroom was a terrible mess, when we really did expect guests, or when we were depressed.
In fact, it became my self-delivered prescription for any case of acedia, one of the seven deadly sins. "Acedia,” Chaucer said, “is a compound of depression, sloth, and irritability, which plunges the whole man into a lazy languor and works in him a constant bitterness.” Sound familiar?
Playing this game will stir your blood, for sure. I found that a motivated half hour could see the "living" section of the house tidied, dusted, vacuumed, swept, and mopped. If I was especially spry, I could even manage to get beneath the sofas, with time left over to pick and arrange greenery in a vase. Using invigorating essential oils such as peppermint, eucalyptus, rosemary, or bergamont certainly helped!
Whenever they saw me tearing through the house, tidying and cleaning, my siblings would nod knowingly. “The President’s coming! The President’s coming!” they would laugh. After the 2008 elections, though, a sibling met my declaration that "the President's coming!" with a smart remark about the kind of welcome he'd like to give our new Commander-in-Chief. Someone else suggested that we instead play "Jesus is coming!" That made me think.
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily,
as to the Lord, and not unto men.
Colossians 3:23
Watch ye therefore: for ye know not
when the master of the house cometh,
at even, or at midnight,
or at the cockcrowing,
or in the morning.
Mark 13:35
“Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming!” Are you ready?
Photograph: Third Brother was a good sport and agreed to pose for me. “That was weird,” he said when I was done.
Photograph and text © 2011.
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LITTLEST SISTER said...
The game is a lot of fun, I love the picture! It is so cute!
Friday, March 4, 2011 08:30 PM
SUE STIRLING said...
Again, I totally love your idea! As a teacher, I am definitely going to do this with ‘pack-away time’ with the children in my classes! I might say the Queen is coming! I always find it amazing that if your brain is motivated, you can accomplish so much, I remember a Uni lecturer saying that research has shown that the brain loves novelty! So true! I was reflecting on the fact that I seem to have so little time to read God’s Word. I purchased a set of four CD’s, and as I travel around in my car, doing relief in schools, I am able to go through the Bible from beginning to the end! —Sue.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012 09:39 PM
HANDMAIDEN said...
Have fun getting ready for the Queen!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012 08:17 PM
Friday, March 4, 2011