DAY 20

Thursday 02/04/2020

I wonder if hermits who hid away in caves hundreds of years ago, found they struggled to keep their dwellings tidy. While excluding themselves from society in order to be closer to God, did they sometimes let their emotions get the better of them and get exasperated at constantly having to sweep the dust that somehow builds up? Did they curse when they had to brush some crumbs that seemed to appear from nowhere for the third time that day? They surely chose to have tidy surroundings as a way of keeping a clean and healthy mind. I am discovering that order and a disciplined routine are two of the most integral things to mentally surviving long periods of confinement and isolation.

I can’t believe that when two people spend every waking moment in one fairly small place, how much mess accumulates, almost without you noticing. Our dishwasher has conveniently chosen to break within the last few days and as we are obviously cooking three meals a day – and sometimes even more if Flo makes something different as she doesn’t want to stuff herself with carbs like I do – there is a lot of washing up to keep on top of. Luckily we are both quite obsessively tidy so we are running a tight ship in our 5^th floor sanctuary. I definitely couldn’t have it any other way if I am to reach the other end of this quarantine with an intact mind.