My husband is a chemistry prof, and he HATES it when people use entropy as a synonym for disorder. He explains about the laws of thermodynamics, and I have no doubt he's right.

But.

I find entropy as a metaphor for disorder incredibly compelling. The universe tends to fall apart. We see that all around us. But we can also see that by expending energy, we can restore order. Only to a tiny corner of the universe, but order nonetheless.

So one side of the garage is more ordered than it was this morning. Tomorrow, I will tackle another side. This weekend, the flower bed.

I am a messy person. I walk in a cloud of chaos, scattering pens and charger cables and sweaters in my wake. Right now is worse than usual, with fear and dread adding to my normal distractability. I wake with gnawing energy and fume at the dirty dishes rather than wash them.

But I am trying to take that energy and deliberately, conscientiously, bring order. Here, now, a swept floor. A clean countertop. A tidy toolbench. It is little enough, and not enough, and no answer for the troubles of the world, but it gives me space to breathe.

Is that selfish? Well, a clean garage never hurt anyone. And I'm no use when I feel entropy crackling from my fingertips like static electricity. So if you need me, I'll be neatly stacking the cans of wood stain.

Voltaire said, tend your garden.