One Less Thing to do

Nothing to Sneeze or Wheeze At

My friend Mark decided at one point to simplify his life. His mantra was "one thing, one day," and it sounded great, but after getting up, getting dressed was out of the question so I suspect he modified it somewhat. still, the idea is a good one, and any way we can devise to simplify our lives is well worth examining. I know, I know, the old "stop and smell the roses" shtick sounds great, but with kids to deal with, significant others begging for "personal" time, meetings to attend and, oh yes, jobs to go to, it sounds hollow every time anyone says it. It's something like that "money isn't everything" phrase that folks throw around so glibly. You will notice, however, that the only people who say that are people who already HAVE money and can, therefore, be cavalier (no LeBron mention intended) about it.
And so it is that, in my ever-expanding search to find ways to simplify my life and squeeze every second into something positive I have a guaranteed way to save between five and fifteen minutes every day for all of us: don't make the bed...any of them...and don't force your children to do so, either. Mom, bless her heart, always insisted that a well-made bed built character even though I knew no visitor would look in my room and "tsk" because I'd done so sloppily. But this was all before science took a look at the issue.
As noted on the BBC (most trusted name in news) web site, making the bed may actually be harmful to one's health! It appears that by arranging the bedclothes as we normally do, we are actually creating a breeding ground for dust mites!. A study done by Kensington University notes that dust mites cannot survive in warm, dry places such as an unmade bed, while a more moist surface like a made bed actually helps them proliferate! this is important since the estimate is that more than 1.5 million dust mites can be found in the average household bed. They survive by eating scales of human skin and, as a result, produce allergens which we inhale during sleep. Asthma sufferers know all about the evils of dust mites as triggers for the condition, but now we can all benefit from this knowledge.
I did not make my bed today. It saved me at least five minutes.
I will not make it tomorrow, either.
What to do with all this dust mite-free time?
Get the Pledge out for the rest of the house.