Therapy.

In the movie (ahem) Center Stage (stop laughing, I absolutely enjoyed that movie) there's a scene where American Ballet Academy instructor Juliette Simone ever-so-gracefully places her hand on the ballet barre. She says something like, come hell or high water, no matter how shitty or brilliant you are, you go back to the barre. Basta it's about the barre. And I guess how it will ground you and you can always find comfort in it...find your center.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is my barre.

What Cybs calls "ang pinakamagandang utility rack sa balat ng lupa"

I realized (or is it remembered?) this yesterday as, for the first time in a long time, I cranked up the ipod, whipped out my housekeeping weapons and made it Inday Day.

I swept the floors then mopped them. I washed the dishes then made tetris the cupboards.

I went through my laundry (can someone invent a handwashing machine please?). I changed my bedsheets and shower curtain.

I was very close to mending two skirts, but I realized Mom would be a lot better at that. (Hey. I think that should be my next goal.)

Fleetwood Mac, The Bangles, and Heart were cheering me on the whole time. And when I was done it was as if the house was saying "thank you" with each clean plate and freshly laundered shirt. And I kinda felt clean and freshly laundered myself.

I haven't done this in a while because I've been seriously racketeering and spending most of my weekends elsewhere. And I know now (well, I think I've always known; I just need to be reminded) that I have to do this on a regular basis again or I will drive myself batty. People have different ways of giving their brain a vacation and I think this is the best way for me.

Now don't forget, idiot.