Starting Over

Confession Time; I'm a horrible housekeeper.
Ironic, since my Matron Goddess is Hestia - Keeper of the Hearth.  But this is exactly why She's my Matron; I return to her when I need the motivation to care for my home properly.  She reminds me that caring for my household is a great act of Love - for myself and for my family.

In mythology, Hestia volunteered to keep watch over the Fire of the Gods.  Instead of returning to Olympus with her brothers and sisters to reign and rule, she chose a life of service; keeping the Fire of the Gods lit and tended.  In ancient times it was important to keep the hearth fire of the home lit and ready at all times.  It was the source of heat, light, cooking, and other preparations and activities that went on through the day.  If the fire went out or was untended and dwindled - precious time would be needed to get it going again; time that could have been used being more productive.  One never knew when the fire would be needed, so it was best to keep it steadily going.  As Hestia watched over the Fire of The Gods in this way, she became the Goddess of The Hearth and Home, representing the service of the housekeepers that blessed the household and kept it running smoothly. 

In our modern world, we don't need to keep a fire lit in our homes at all times.  Yet we do take actions that keep the household running smoothly and keep our family safe, fed, and protected.  Paying the electric bill.  Preparing the meals.  Cleaning and Maintaining the home.  Hestia reminds me that these acts of service are a loving choice I make for my family - not an evil chore that I am tied down to or required to do as a slave, but an act of love.

My modern inspiration is the FlyLady.  She has taught me a few simple things that help me keep going, and help pull me back on track when I need it. 

• FLY - stands for Finally Loving Yourself.  It's a reminder that the things I DO are a reflection of self love.  When I care for my home, I care for myself.  When I care for myself, I am free and I give myself wings to FLY.
• Progress, not Perfection.  My home doesn't have to be perfect.  The little things that I do are a blessing, even if they are not done perfectly!  I don't have to be "finished" to have progress.  I don't have to keep a perfect home to be blessed.
• The power of 15 minutes - Progress can be made in a short period of time.  You'd be surprised how much can get done in just 15 minutes.  No need to overwhelm yourself with a big job - just do what you can in 15 minutes!
• You're not behind!  Just start where you are.  This is a big one for me.  With chronic pain and illness, and living with depression and anxiety, I feel like I'm "behind" a lot.  Like I need to "catch up".  I need to remember, I AM HERE.  I AM NOW.  What I can do NOW is enough.

These are the things I'm reminding myself of now.  I've had another period of falling flat on my face and letting things go.  (But that's okay too - as Akhilandeshvari reminds me!)  I'm working hard to not be angry, disappointed or pass judgement on myself.  It is what it is.  I do what I can.  Sometimes, what I can do is not much at all.  Sometimes, just getting through the day is all I can do.  And that's okay!  I live in cycles, as does the world and the whole universe! 

As the Spring Equinox and the New Moon approaches, I'm feeling the call of Hestia, awakening me again.  I'm hearing the words and lessons of FlyLady urging me on.  I'm entering a new cycle, and ready to start fresh.  I know that this won't last forever.  I've come to recognize, embrace, and accept that I am never going to stay "on top"; and that I will time and time again repeat this cycle.  I'll face this feeling again.  That's okay.  The point is that when I do have my moments of "Spring" and hear the call of Hestia - I will answer. 

My starting point is the Kitchen Sink.  As I mentioned, we don't really have a "Hearth" in modern homes.  Even homes that have a fireplace - that fireplace Hearth does not necessarily play the role of center of the home.  So what place in the home does serve as the central focus?  For me, it's the Kitchen Sink.  This is probably because of FlyLady's teachings of Starting with the Kitchen Sink.  Her theory is that if you keep your kitchen sink shiny, the rest comes easier.  It's easier to keep up with the dishes if you're not letting them pile up.  It's easier to be motivated to keep the rest of the kitchen clean and shiny if the sink is clean and shiny.  It's easier to be motivated to keep the other rooms of the house clean if the kitchen is clean.  Then the other things you need to do come easier too, because you don't have to clean before you cook, or you don't have to clean up the living room just because you want to sit down and relax.  In theory, if you keep your kitchen sink shiny, the rest will fall into place (it still takes work, but that's the basic idea)  You can read FlyLady's Kitchen Sink lesson HERE.

So for me, the kitchen sink is becoming my "Hearth Fire".  It is the place to focus on, it is the place to start and the place to end.  Hestia is considered 'The First and The Last" and it was traditional to honor her first thing every morning and the last thing every night.  Incidentally - FlyLady says to shine the kitchen sink first thing every morning and the last thing every night.  So this just works! 
I moved my kitchen altar to the window above my kitchen sink.  So there's Hestia, and an orange candle to represent the Hearth Fire, right above my kitchen sink - reminding me of her lessons. 

I'll be working on other areas of my home too, as my health permits.  I'll be blogging more about my goals, my inspiration, and what is working for me or helping me.  But for now I just needed to get this out there; I'm starting over!