How can cleaning the house, or any mundane task become a source of quietude and fulfillment?

In his book Sweeping Changes: Discovering the Joy of Zen in Everyday Tasks, Gary Thorps makes us discover the benefits of zen in every day mundane activities.

Who has not grumbled or at least had a sigh of annoyance when facing an undone chore? Who among us has never left the dishes undone at some time or another, or even avoided the dust collecting on the floating shelves?

When you read this book you will learn that each of these activities can bring a precious form of serenity in your life, a form of detachment. The simple action of dusting a bookshelf, feeding a pet or tidying up the room, allows you to relax and to practice the principles of zen living.

Gary Thorps who started zen in 1960, proposes his ideas on housework and how to transform boring tasks into enriching acts, in a book that is poetic, amusing and full of wisdom. He helps readers with his humor to get ahead of the tasks they would rather avoid. He is instrumental in changing behavior so that what would have considered by some a waste time before reading the book becomes a source of inspiration, a feeling of well being and satisfaction.

The book is surprisingly small but it packed with wisdom that will leave you with a better understanding of yourself and the world around you. As you elevated the menial to a higher more reverend plane, you elevate yourself to a more holy spiritual enlightenment.

The chapters are small and it easy to read a quick chapter when you have a little time, but you will then understand that it is the little things that form us. Masterfully written and a pleasure to read a little at time or all at once, I am sure you will come back to it for more again and again.