Did I mention I’m doing a cleanse? Yes, it’s true. The least likely person to ever deprive herself of any kind of food or beverage (“But I deserve this five pound carne asada burrito,” “But Diet Coke has no calories,” “But they say red wine is good for you,” “But you have to eat queso if you’re watching a football game,” . . .) has chosen to abstain from just about all things edible. Not totally true. But close enough. Liquid breakfast, grass and twigs for lunch, liquid dinner. That’s about it. I indulge myself by drinking my body weight in tea every day. The other day I had a certifiable craving for warm sour cream by the spoon full. I know, nasty.

At the same time, we are cleansing the house to further allow all five people living here (my mom, my husband, me, and our twins) to survive together under one roof. Last night, we were emptying a closet and found a puzzle of a huge hamburger (so big, it looked like the meat was sweating . . . what a tease), 200 travel sized bottles of shampoo, 15 pounds of old coins, and an air rifle. All in the same closet. I told my mom, “The chapter is practically writing itself.”

Cleansing is a holistic act of self-care. I’m learning that. Getting the trash out. Letting the good in. Never easy. But well worth the work.

Today, I’m also thinking of the intolerable images of Haiti. What would it be like to see your world turned to rubble? And I think of Martin Luther King, Jr., who tried his very best to point out the rubble around him and to clean it up. Because cleaning things up is not only about self-care but about restoring dignity.

I hope we can all be a part of cleansing this year. Whether it’s a colon, a closet, a country, or a culture. After all, the world could use some people who are serious about getting clean.