Cleaning up my act

I got a call from my mother this morning to tell me my dad was in the hospital but as it turned out it was because they had lowered his medication too much so he's home and all is well.  But waiting for the second call put me in a mood not to clean so the momentum was lost.  I ended up running errands instead.  On the way home the tail gate to the truck fell open but we didn't lose a single item, even though the cans were rolling all over the gate.  Thank Hermes!  And just this morning I had been thinking about him.

I got some books from the library while I was out.  I wanted the whole Percy Jackson series, which the online inventory told me was available but wasn't.  Of course it wasn't.  The second book is in for repairs and I didn't want to get the third and fourth books until I had the first and second read so I got First Man in Rome instead.  I have it upstairs but this is easier, believe me.

I've been reading The Iliad as a part of my evening devotional times along with the Homeric Hymns and some mindless meditations.  I say mindless because generally my mind goes blank immediately.  I'm thinking that's a good thing right now.  At least I'm not thinking about laundry or cleaning the kitchen anymore. 

And speaking of cleaning the kitchen...I really need to keep up with that.  One of the things I've begun to think more about is cleanliness and hygiene.  Not that I'm a dirty slob or anything, but I could do better.  I'm dressing every day now instead of spending the day in my pajamas and that has made a huge difference in my outlook.  There is a concept in Hellenismos called miasma, which is ritual impurity although that is far too simple a definition.  Still, while it could be taken to the extreme (and probably is in some camps) it does give me a lot to think about.  I think it has as much to do with self respect as it does with respecting the gods. Not that I believe the gods insist we are squeaky clean before we approach the altar or that our houses are spotless, but if we don't respect ourselves and our environments, how can we respect them?  I'm still pondering all the aspects of it and while I refuse to deal in absolutes right now (and maybe never again) I do think it's a good idea to at least demonstrate that I like myself enough to clean up a bit. 

But it's almost time to put those jammies (clean from the wash) back on and crawl into bed and read for a while before knitting my brains out.  I do like the discipline of daily or twice daily devotion time at the altar.  And that it's so stress-free makes for more motivation to do it.  I like it.  For now, anyway.