A Good Friday

ASIDE FROM MY LAUNDRY, OF COURSE Getting busy on a Holy Week 

THAT WAS A GOOD FRIDAY to remember. First, I made the decision not to go out of the house (for a change), at least not from the perspective of going out with friends or some gathering with the old folks. I simply stayed in the house. Second, I had an endless laundry to attend to, and that by the end of the day I felt I have accomplished something significant, useful even for the next two weeks, enabling me to have a good night sleep afterwards.

They said Christ died at exactly 3 p.m. that afternoon, but I just got busy with my chores, cleaning and clearing everything up, and had an extended rest the rest of the way. I felt good since then. That day when you plan to go clear, and it was a clear day indeed.

Jesus, I could use a break! With so much going on in and out of work, even a quick lull seemed reasonable, considering it’s the Holy Week, perfect for some reflection or retardation. Although I had that in mind already even before this short vacation started, what I was thinking then was the idea of catching up on things I wasn’t able to do for so long now, that is, doing some extensive cleaning at home.

And I did. Aside from my laundry, of course, I had some extended dish washing from morning ‘til night, shoved the cobwebs away, couldn’t recall how many times I swept the floor since I started cleaning the house earlier that morning, sorted things out, made sure the bathroom is squeaky clean, folded some clothes (ironed those that are crumpled), prepared a meal, took a bath twice before the sun goes down, waited for my laundry to dry, shunned the internet. I know it sounds unholy at times to be doing these things on a Good Friday, but cleanliness is next to godliness anyway.

I treasure days like that. It is an opportunity for me to refresh, to recharge, to reinvigorate some old screws that have become rusty, and sometimes you can only have that by doing ordinary chores on a seemingly ordinary day like a Good Friday. Besides, I’m already covered. Christ has already paid my rent, big time, so all I need to do is maintain its cleanliness until such time I could transfer to a much bigger, loftier house. Some form of an investment.

One of the simplest Good Fridays I had since. I wish I could have that again, and have my muffin, too, alongside this hot black coffee, while glancing at my recent masterpiece: a country of laundry hanging outside my backyard.

However, I did not do some reflection on that stretch (at least from a Holy Week standpoint), it wasn’t a part of my plan, that I need to fast, make amends with my shortcomings, going introspective, or having a religious view on things, all the care about was my long delayed general cleaning. And it’s a good thing it happened on a Friday, so I won’t be able to do labor on it on a Sunday afternoon, away from that routine.