Zen and the Art of Housekeeping

Book excerpt: Learn to be at peace and attain enlightenment while doing all the “little” things around the house in this guide to becoming one with your home and gaining an elevated sense of being. Wash the dishes, do the laundry, mop the floors, scrub the toilets, make the beds, vacuum the rugs…the list goes on and on, with little time to stop, breathe, and take in your beautiful surroundings. Now you can. Zen and the Art of Housekeeping challenges you to put more than elbow grease into your daily routine. You’ll learn how to spirit yourself away during mundane chores as you muse over thought-provoking Zen koans like: If the kitchen is the heart of the home, what is the heart of the kitchen? What is the color of clean? If the purpose of cleaning is to remove dirt, what is the purpose of dirt? What fills empty spaces? Whose footprints are on your floor? With Zen and the Art of Housekeeping, you’ll scrub your way to enlightenment—and a spotless sink.