Chris the carpet cleaning guy is coming today. It’s a bi-annual event that justifies me not having to buy new carpeting. It got me wondering if there was a lesson brewing here for me. If you think I’ve gone Martha Stewart on you, please notice that thought and make space for another one to pop in.

When you witness the rug cleaning process, you first see the amount of dirt that comes up with a high powered vacuum. Then you see a cleaning agent being applied to the tough spots and then heated water sprayed into the carpeting. Finally, you watch the applied moisture being sucked back out. If you look at the water tank on his truck that contains the removed water, you can see that it looks darker than over-brewed coffee.

The carpets take a few hours to dry and they look much nicer than before they were cleaned.

It’s a surface cleaning that lasts until the next time.

If you ever do spring for new carpeting, you will notice that no matter how clean the old carpets look on the surface, when you pull them up, there is abundant dirt sitting underneath on the floorboards. It’s eye-opening to see the amount of yucky stuff that sits where you can’t see it.

You’ve got to notice the dirt before you know it’s there. You can deny that it’s there because you don’t own the experience that I’ve just described, but that does nothing to change the reality of the hidden piles of muck.

How much superficial cleaning do we all do to get us to the next time? That’s called consciously working it out. We come up with a temporary solution to a difficulty that has deeper causes. That means we keep dealing with the same issues over and over.

What issue keeps popping up for you? It’s a sign that there is plenty of crud beneath the surface – just waiting for the opportunity to rear its grimy head. It may be time for new carpeting.

Awareness is the doorway to the new carpet store. Become aware that you have a recurring pattern. Give it attention when you notice that you are running it. This unbiased, unemotional noticing provides the means and action necessary to open the door to new décor.

The cultural answers to your carpet grime are all superficial. “You need a vacation, a separation, a change of scenery, a different job, an avant-garde hairdo, a miracle solvent” are the temporary answers that our surface culture provides. Remember this when exclusively considering cultural answers: It takes a village to raise an idiot.

Take a deep breath, exhale slowly and notice that staying on the surface only gets you to the next time. If there is a difficulty that you are ready to deal with, the first step is to stop sweeping it under the rug.

Just notice the situation without judgement of any sort. When you have the “presence of mind” (meaning being a witness to your thoughts), you have begun the process of ripping up the old carpets and cleaning out what is beneath them. A little section each day is sufficient. You don’t need to do the whole project at once. This lifting and cleaning process makes room for a new surface to walk on that adds a cozy, comfortable sensation to the quality of your life.

All the best,

John

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