Clean Out The Clutter
As I start to see signs Spring is coming to the Northeast, with the small leaves forming on the trees, an amazing 85-degree day last week, and Lent has officially started my mind goes to Spring Cleaning.
I used to dread Spring Cleaning. I looked at as an awful chore where I saw my grandmother drudge through it every year. She would take everything out of her kitchen, put everything on her dining room table, evaluate the contents, wash them and put 98% of it back. Through the eyes of my 10-year-old self, it seemed rather unnecessary.
I get it now, on many levels.
Clothes and Shoes
I was just getting ready for my day and looking at the clothes in the closet that I never wear, seldom wear or do not like when I wear. They really need a new home. Clothes wear out, for the most part, some classic items I have had for 10 or 15 years and treat them very well. Others such as workout gear, I know they are not long for this world, no matter how carefully I wash them. They need to be assessed on a regular basis.
Same with shoes. I have some basic classic shoes that never go out style such as a black pump. How many pairs of these do I truly need? far less than I presently own. What if I was to donate the surplus to Dress for Success so women in need could have them? A much better use than to collect dust in the back of my closet.
Old Relationships
My boyfriend Freshman year of college, I broke up with because he was graduating. I wanted to date someone who was in school. It wasn’t that we didn’t have fun or I did not mean all the things I said at the time, I was young and selfish. In my mid-20s, I reached out to him and apologized. It is not as if we are friends or anything now, but it is resolved. I was a jerk, and that is all I can do.
There are people who did crappy things to you. We all have had those people, let’s find a way to move on so they do not impact our current lives. If you have to hire a life coach, see a therapist, burn sage in your house, whatever it takes to do it.
Current Relationships
What if you were to take all of our current relationships out of the relationship “pantry” would they pass the inspection? Are they bringing you joy? Do you hit decline when they call? Do you need a day to recover after seeing them? They should be put in the donate pile.
Once we have the space in our relationship pantry, we can focus more on the relationships that are working. You might be surprised at what new relationships will come along now that you are seeing things with different eyes.
“Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring.” – Lily Pulitzer
Erin Wathen
As a Holistic Health Coach, it is Erin’s big hairy audacious goal is to change the dialogue around how we look at weight loss. It is not a matter of being it Ketosis or Food Swaps but the feelings we have that we are avoiding by overeating. Why are so many of us not tackling the real issues we have? It is easier and safer to obsess over the latest diet fad. Whether it be with our job, or our Mom, boyfriend, politics… until we address how we manage our feelings in the world, we are not going to.
