Clean Enough to Hurt

As a child, being told to clean always felt like punishment — a consequence, not a choice. The sting of turpentine, the drag of a rag over stubborn stains, the silence that followed. But as the years passed, mess became unbearable, not out of discipline, but discomfort. Order became safety. Now, every crumb swept and every surface wiped is less about tidiness, and more about control.