As the years have passed, my role has changed in my home. While I definitely still spend time cooking and cleaning, some tasks have been passed onto other family members and my role has also become managerial.

It is a good day when our children grow old enough to help take care of our home. In my opinion, we all live in our home and everyone should take part in taking care of it.

Related: Focus on Your Purpose

Taking care of our home teaches our children lessons in responsibility and it is really good for everyone. My toddlers can’t wait to “help” me cook a meal or to grab a washcloth to wipe the windows. I think in general, this is an inborn part of us. We all want to feel needed and involved in most situations we find ourselves in.

Usually, our home cleaning goes smoothly and everything gets done. But sometimes, it doesn’t.

I’ve realized that this can be a real trigger for me. When the house isn’t as neat as (I think) it should be, then I feel stressed much easier. I think this is very interesting, since I didn’t used to feel this way at all. But with age, I’ve come to appreciate a clean home.

While a clean home is nice and all, my peace of mind is more important. So are my children’s feelings. Is there a way to maintain my peace when things just don’t go as planned?

I think this bit of advice from Epictitus can apply to this situation, along with many others.

“Do not seek for things to happen the way you want them to; rather, wish that what happens happen the way it happens: then you will be happy.”

Epictitus

That’s a mouthful, isn’t it?

But it is so true!

What if we decide to hope for whatever happens in our lives to happen, instead of hoping things happen a certain way ahead of time?

You know, go with the flow.

It would definitely cause us to feel more peaceful and happy. I bet we could find positive points for the so called “bad” events that happen around us, too.

When our house isn’t as clean as I’d like, it’s an opportunity for me to help my children with their chores. To spend more time with them.

We also can brainstorm ways to get the job done more quickly and efficiently. Most importantly, an unclean home is one of my best teachers. It reminds me that I am blessed with my family, and how patience is a virtue that I need to work on. One day, I will wish for toys to be strewn about!

Related: Keep a Calm Mind

Thanks for stopping by today, friends. I hope you have a wonderful day!