Spring has sprung! Trees are coming back to life, birds are singing as they go about nesting, daffodils are in full bloom, bluebells are starting to appear, the days are getting longer, temperatures are rising and the sun is often shining. For many this means happier moods and the desire to do more, to be more active & productive. My neighbours opposite have been having a big clear out, offering items to neighbours and putting the rest in a skip. This is typically the season for spring cleaning, clearing out the old to make room for the new, thoroughly cleaning and refreshing our homes after a period of wintering when we tend to do less, operating at a slower pace and conserving our energy.
Spring cleaning tends to be more of thing for those of us living in colder climates. It’s warm enough to open windows and doors to air the house before insects become an issue. Some countries have different times when deep cleaning is traditionally carried out, for example in late December before the new year in Japan. The process though is essentially the same.
Getting rid of stuff, letting go of things that we’ve been holding onto that no longer serve a purpose, can be quite cathartic. That doesn’t mean it’s necessarily desirable to throw away everything that’s not useful or functional. Some things hold sentimental value or simply give us pleasure, but then I guess we could argue that they therefore have a function. They perhaps remind us of a time or a person or simply give us joy.
Having too much clutter in our lives, physical or emotional, can keep us stuck & hold us back. Change is inevitable and often we need to let go of things that might be holding us back in order to move forward, grow & embrace change. What clutter can you let go of? And what can you welcome in its place?
