WNDWATR

I have a license plate that reads WNDWATR. Over the years, people have stopped me in various places to ask if I’m a sailor. No, I assure them, I am a Feng Shui consultant. Some stare; some ask “What??!” The polite ones say “Oh.” Some say “I’ve heard of that” as they pick up the pace heading toward wherever they were going in the first place. One guy ventured to guess that I did fly-fishing. I don’t mind explaining my license plates, because, of course, why have them if I won’t take the time to explain them. But sometimes it just gets complicated.

The other day I was getting out of my car at the post office and an elderly man who I’m sure was in his 80's was unlocking his car door and saw my car (and the license plates). He smiled and said “What does your license plate stand for?” I had one of those immense moments when in the span of a nano-second I vacillated between saying “I don’t know, this isn’t my car” to “Why, Feng Shui, of course.” I presumed he wouldn’t have any idea what I was talking about and I’d have to go through a long explanation which may or may not matter in the end. I was on a tight schedule after all.

What the heck. “Wind and Water,” I declared. “It stands for Feng Shui.” His eyes lit up. “Feng Shui? I’ve heard of that----my daughter was just telling me about it the other day. It’s become pretty popular these days, hasn’t it? In fact, she’s got some books and was trying to Feng Shui (he said this with emphatic glee) my living room.” I assured him that was a small but valid part of what I do, but before I could get very far into my explanation, he launched into telling me how much he loved personal license plates and how he always tried to figure them out on his own. Then I heard some reasons why he actually didn’t have any on his own car. Then he expressed how excited he was to learn about a license plate that had some connection to HIM. He waved me off with a self-satisfied smile, but not before reassuring me WNDWATR was a very clever way of expressing Feng Shui.

I walked several steps toward the post office when I heard: “Have a Wind and Water day, young lady!” I smiled back at him and waved. I smiled all the while I was waiting in line to mail some packages, thinking about our conversation. I smiled at the postal clerk who gave me a suspicious squint of her eyes. I got back in my car still smiling. I thought about this man who proved me wrong----just because he’s elderly doesn’t mean he lives under a rock. I imagined he would go home and tell his daughter about the license plates with all the delight and innocence he expressed to me. He probably had no idea how he had touched me—it seemed like such an insignificant encounter. For the next few days, every time I looked at my license plates I thought about him and, sure enough, smiled. It didn’t hurt that he called me young lady.

Mindful Mopping

If all goes as planned, this weekend should be the last time I clean my house. I am neither dying, moving, or deciding to lower my cleanliness standards—I’m reinstating my cleaning service. I'm calling back the spirited, happy, energetic people who would blast through the house in an hour or two leaving it sparkling and uplifted. Why would I ever let them go I can hear you asking. Feng Shui, of course.....

I have had a cleaning service for most of my adult life. I’m busy, I don’t enjoy cleaning, it’s affordable----all valid reasons for relinquishing an activity that doesn’t make me leap for joy. However, many years ago when I was first learning about Feng Shui, I realized that, although I loved my house and I felt a strong connection to it, there was one layer I was missing out on. I wasn’t cleaning my own house. So I experimented with letting the service lapse and picking up the mop myself.

I’ve taken on the cleaning tasks twice in the last seven or eight years. Each time it has proven very beneficial and each time I’m happy when it’s over. I get into corners that I don’t ordinarily see. I appreciate the work behind the shining floors. I am less messy in the bathroom since I would be the one to clean up after myself. During this last phase I discovered a hair-line crack in a bathroom tile. This led to a massive bathroom remodel since water had been leaking through that crack for who knows how long providing mountains of mold behind that tiled wall. If I hadn’t been cleaning my own bathroom, this would have gone undetected.

It stands to reason that when I clean my own place, I would do things the cleaning service doesn’t do. I lug furniture around, rearrange things, dust under armoires, often find lost kitty toys in obscure places. Unfortunately, I never did acquire a smooth cleaning routine. Cleaning happened when company was coming or when I was disgusted enough to do it. But when I did, I made sure I was in a pretty good mood, had some time to devote to it, and took pride in the results.

Nevertheless, I’ll be so happy when those cleaners walk through the door in a few weeks. Somehow the house stays cleaner longer after one of their sessions. They have all the right equipment and tools, and a good attitude about it. I know the day I walk in and all the fringe on our area rugs has been combed into straight little lines, I’ll have trouble holding back the tears of joy.