Monday, April 17, 2006

Spring Cleaning?! Or More ...

Every so often, I "clean up" my life... Not just my house, but my life as a whole ... I get into these moods, maybe every 2-3 years where I have to refresh most of everything around me. It always occurs with the spring, since every spring I at least "spring clean" my house ... It starts with the closets, then the sock drawers, and the window boxes, and the outdoor storage I have, then it gets to the bill folders, and the pictures, and then the computer hard drive, and then it moves on... I paint a room or two in my house, I buy new clothes, I do new things, see new places, I haven't seen before, I try to meet new people, and I also cleanse my body and soul... I clean up my diet, and my fridge, and my medicine cabinet, and my bathroom cabinet, I do it ALL!

And sometimes (like this year, hopefully), I look deep down in the bottom of my soul's well and try to see what's there, and try to purify it if I can... I return to the mat (the yoga mat, that is), and I build again a new pattern of meeting it more often, and more regularly... I breathe deeper, and I become more aware of not clenching my teeth or smiling more when life throws a challenge at me (every day, as for all of us, I am sure...).

And I clean up my mind, too ... I restock the bookshelves, and the magazine rack, and I try to open up to new genres and new writers, and new perspectives on the world ... I buy new cd's and try new music out, just to see how I like it ...

It's all invigorating, and freeing ... It always has to be freeing with me... And I try for one brief moment to at least dream of doing one thing, at least one, that is completely new, and which I have never tried before... I'm looking, and searching... I guess blogging is my new thing for sure this year! It's a big step to open up to strangers and such, especially as shy and insecure I am about my writing in another language ... A new way to be vulnerable ... But again, freeing...

We refresh our lungs with every breath, and our heart with new oxygenated blood ... why keep our physical quarters old and smelly?! Moldy and damp?! Why keep our habits and minds full of dusty thoughts? Sure, the basis, the "container" is still all there, intact, but the "accessories", the ephemeral media that populate them need a little refreshment, for me at least... The heart and the lungs stay... not what fills them up...

If you decide to try it out: Happy Spring Cleaning to all ... It really puts you back to square one and gives you renewed and plentiful hope, just like Sisyphus must have felt when he saw himself again at the bottom of the hill...:-)

PS: I know you're wondering if it lasts... For as long as I can keep it... I try to believe I can only better myself, and I never open a shut door... So, what's chucked this time around, stays away pretty much for good...

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