Clean Wisdom

Well, Internet, its taken me some time but I'm finally beginning to attack all of the clutter. There are some rules of enlightenment I've been following that I thought I'd share.

1) Don't clear the clutter of your spouse/roommate/child/etc without their permission. Why? Because it will make your life hell. Hell. Not only that but it won't create the uplifted feeling you are going for. However, they may notice when you lead by example. On Tuesday I decided to start small and begin with the bathroom. I threw out old tubes of shaving cream 1/2 way empty and rusting in the cabinet, cleared the shelves, placed like-use items together, and left out only the essentials. I cleaned all surfaces of the gummy grime that was collecting and washed the windows. When J came home the first thing he said was, "Wow! It feels like a spa in here!" It took him a bit to realize why. The chaos was gone.

2) Put on fun music and bright clothes. Make it intentional the type of energy you are infusing into the area. Dance while you are putting things away or releasing them.

3) Follow 3 simple rules when deciding what to do with Aunt Betty's casserole dish or some God-awful painting you got for a bridal gift.

• Does it lift my energy when I look at it or even think about it?
• Do I absolutely love it?
• Is it genuinely useful?

If your answer is a resounding yes to the first question and an equally resounding yes to the second or third question, keep it. If it doesn't, let it go. Another equally fantastic question is: Does it reflect who I am or want to become?

4) There is something to the bagua and its symbolism. For example, remember all of those boxes I have on the floor in the back bedroom? Yes, that really embarrassing photo I posted awhile back. All of those boxes are contents of previous jobs I have held. In them I have conference binders, books about clinical supervision, plaques given to me for awards or certifications. Guess where they are in my house bagua? My marriage and love sector. I've been unable to really move on from my identity with my past career positions. Gee, I wonder why? No wonder its hard for me to live in the present with my relationship or often think that there has to be a choice between career and marriage. It is the sector and project that I am the least looking forward to but only because of the emotions that are tied to it. Once I recognized that, the task became a bit easier in my mind.

5) Have you noticed that depressed people generally have a lot of clutter on the ground? Stuff weighs them down. Stacks of books, paperwork, things under the beds, etc. Move the stuff, change your mood.