Get your house in order

“Writing is like driving at night with the headlights on, you can only see a little ways in front of you but you can make the whole journey that way.” -E.L. Doctorow

I heard this quote on my drive home the other night. I had stopped to buy a few groceries. It was well after sundown and pouring down rain when I got on the road to return home. I’m driving in a 2001 Toyota Tacoma with dim headlights. Although the roads are familiar, having driven them many times before, the fog sits low, the rain is coming down in sheets, and the night is black. What was going to be a drive on a well-worn path felt like an unfamiliar route.

You only will see a little in front of you, but you can make the whole journey that way. It’s time to prepare your house for the year. Get the soil ready for this year’s garden, take out that much-loathed shirt from your closet you think you may need someday. Make amends where needed, and get to scrubbing the baseboards after putting them off. To be ready for life’s important work, you must first set your house in order. You need gas in your tank and a well-stocked pantry. 

In California, this is rainy season for us. In January, we contend with muddy shoes, puddles, and chills. My husband once told me he likes it when the rain comes because it cleans everything. 

This wet weather is nature’s cue for us to let go of the things that may have served us well in the past so that we may focus on what’s ahead, similar to a snake that outgrows and sheds his skin. So roll up your sleeves, and don’t let another moment pass. Your life awaits, even if you can only see a bit ahead.