Last night in my evening group at Blooma, we were chatting about the stuff that clutters up our minds and rooms and drains us of our energy. One of the amazing participants, who comes from a family of 12, shared a strategy her mother used and I just had to pass it along.
Her mother would give each child a box before summer started and all 10 had to clean out their rooms...the stuff on their walls, dressers, all the accumulated toys and junk. Her mother called it "simplifying for summer" and explained that since they would spending all their time outdoors they wouldn't need any of it. As you can imagine by the time fall came around no one missed a thing. A woman ahead of her time who clearly didn't need a library of books on organization to deal with her dozen.
We become so attached to the stuff in our lives and don't realize the space it takes up. I encourage you to take a look at your life, your physical space (the counters, closets, car, etc) and your mental space (your relationships, thought patterns, self-defeating behaviors). What can you pack up this spring. Come fall if you haven't opened the box, let it go. What a great way to simplify!
P.S. Check out this for some great "stuff" about attachment.
I tend to become a little edgy, restless, and dark around this time of year, especially when the mercury seems to be creeping up sooooo slowly. Not sure why I would further exacerbate the gloom of the coldest winter in twelve years by reading this book and this one and watching this movie. I would love to say that it was the books and the movie alone that led me to consider what I take for granted in my life….but I’ll be honest it was the loss of my internet “connectivity” for 52 hours that really woke me up.
So here is my list of the five things I’m grateful for today….
1. The ability to breathe freely.
2. A good cup of coffee and the absurdity of the fact that I can actually debate whether I want to grind and brew my own fair trade organic or visit a local shop for some caffeinated drink with whipped cream and shavings.
3. My husband….shush…don’t tell him. In the initial moments following my most recent birth I must have agreed when my dearest requested a five day trip to his beloved mountains. I attribute this total lapse in judgment to distraction and the thought I could do anything, like being a single parent for five days, since I had just completed a "successful" VBAC. Well let’s just say I can do it...just not very well. I need him as much as he needs fresh powder.
4. Okay, I was ambitious when I said five….need to go sleep in my clean sheets in my heated house.
I'd love to hear what you take for granted....
Between a toddler and a baby:
“I want to hit you with this hammer but I know I can’t”
Reminded me of how many things we want to do in our lives but feel like we shouldn’t. A few examples…eating cupcakes for lunch, letting the dirty clothes pile up to the point you need crampons to scale the mountains in your laundry room, reading blogs instead of doing bills, having one more cocktail, feigning illness to get out of work….I’m sure you can name a few in your own life. But here is the deal....don’t feel bad if you can’t show the restraint my two and a half year old did. If you are going to engage in your “should nots” do it intentionally and with abandon. I have no idea who originally said this but basically change your behavior if your guilt makes sense if it doesn’t let it go. Don’t waste energy on guilt, it isn’t worth it.
Now if you want to pummel your partner with a plastic hammer when they walk in the door that is a different story….
Join a Personal Renewal Group, an excellent opportunity to reconnect with who you are. Develop meaningful connections with other women while you explore resources for creating balance in your life. Share insights and strategies for self-renewal, engage in soul-soothing conversation and creative exercises that will bring energy to your life. I’ll be starting a group in April, we’ll be meeting for two hours in the evening once a month for six months. The group will be held in a delightful private studio space in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The cost of the group is $175 (price includes a copy of the book The Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate, and Re-Balance Your Life). Look here for more information. Call Sarina LaMarche 612-285-9851 to treat yourself.
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