Published: May 08, 2008 11:35 pm      

Clean Up, Fix Up, Perk Up, and Don’t Forget to Green Up

Yes, clean up, fix up, perk up, and green up … it all goes together at the springtime of the year – every year.

You know the routine. First, open those sleepy wintertime eyes and look around at all of the mess. Yikes! Stay calm – it can be done. You can achieve a semblance of order and cleanliness –we’ve got to make it a priority.

Next: make a plan and WORK that plan. It all sounds so easy on paper, doesn’t it? But it can be done, little by little. Don’t try to take the whole project on in one day. Remember that it’s your little corner of the world. Well, everybody has got to be somewhere – don’t ya know?

At your place, if there’s a helpmate around, perhaps the most fun is making their plan, their work list. Heh, heh, heh …. Everybody’s got a job to do, even if you’re the one planning and pointing … and when you’ve done that, honey, go over that way – there’s lots of stuff to do there. Don’t forget to bring along the wheel barrel and weed eater while you’re planting that cute little ole pine tree.

Now, if you’ve survived that part – next is to attack your own personal stuff. You must get gritty here. Allow me to give a testimony:

Deep in a downstairs closet, packed way – next to my surfer girl stuff, is a secret box that I have never had the courage to part with - year after year. No way, Hosea. However, every year at springtime cleanup, I knew I should. What a burden to carry.

It was more important than my poodle skirt, more intriguing than my marble collection from my school girl days (the big loggers and cat eyes that I took away from the boys in my neighborhood), more exciting than my locked-away diary (now, there’s stuff that could make an action/suspense/thriller million dollar movie – I’m certain), more enticing than my photos of “The Killer” Jerry Lee Lewis, and, probably, other Top Secret stuff that I’ve even forgotten.

Yes, packed away with all of this good stuff is my Valentine collection – all through the years. No, not a listing of the ones I sent out, but more importantly, the ones I’ve received. How can a girl, even a Me Maw type girl like me, part with this? It’s like pulling out my heart – okay, sometimes I get a little dramatic. It might happen this year, but I doubt it. I must be stronger – maybe next year.

But don’t let me sway you – do what you should to make your space become the best it can be – clean up, fix up, perk up, and green up. Get busy as you clean out those attics, garages, and basements – go on, get started. Don’t forget to plant green, green, green in your yard or patio pots.

I occasionally check in with the real world and I’ve found it’s important that we become familiar with such terms as carbon footprints, environmental responsibility, and green house gases as pertaining to our community. Take a look at - it can get pretty complicated, but bottom-line – we are all responsible for our space.

I was recently at a state convention where the year-end reports were given. Awards were given for conservation, including beautification and resource conservation at communities throughout the great State of Mississippi. In addition, great emphasis was placed on the arts, women’s health, domestic violence, citizenship, youth educational scholarships, and so much more.

It’s the phenomenal organization, Mississippi Federated Women’s Clubs. The amount of good deeds done for Mississippi by this group of volunteers is mind boggling, to say the least. On Friday of the convention, I was honored to be on the program, and I stated, in part, “If you want good work accomplished, ask a Mississippi woman to do it.”

Later, I thought – this organization only numbers approximately 2200 women, and the amount of work, money, and elbow grease (one report named over $50,000.00 raised for one project during the year of 2007) yes, all of this work is produced annually and should place them in the miracle-making department, and most of us whine about cleaning our personal space, me included.

So, I’ve gotten busy – making my work list (my helpmates, too) and checking each item off diligently. I’ve cleaned the kitchen cabinets, organized canned goods (what to take to the Crisis Center and what I should use right away). I gathered some of my mother’s dishes and sent out to my granddaughter’s house (her mother has to squeeze them in somewhere, now) and threw out all of those pesky plastic containers that will not recycle, plus I’ve made a vow not to purchase anything that is not recyclable.

Then, it was off to my room. I’ve made those painful shoe decisions (what to keep – what to donate – what to throw out) – I’ve gone through my closet (separating the “skinny” wardrobe from the “fat” and “fatter” ones). Whew! That was painful.

Now I’ve moved to the downstairs closet and the box situated next to my surfer girl stuff – this might be the most difficult of all. I shall study upon this decision for a few additional days, but I know it must be done.

In the meantime, there’s plenty of planning and pointing to continue with my helpmate’s projects – Hey, somebody got to do it.

I hope you will join me as we clean up, fix up, perk up and green up … making Meridian the best it can be.