Spring cleaning

From the archives. Crocus, Spring 2009.

Don’t own so much clutter that you will be relieved to see your house catch fire.

~ Wendell Berry, Farming:  a hand book

Somewhere, sometime, I read something that suggested one’s outer environment is a reflection of one’s inner state of being.  If there is any truth to that, my inner state of being must have been chaotic, cluttered, disorganized, and in need of a good dusting or scrubbing.  My inner being was holding on to “fat clothes,” too.  Expansion of the inner being is no problem, but my outer being needs to let go of such things.  There is no going back.

From the archives. Spring 2009.

The point is, you need to distinguish between what honestly moves you and what the world is telling you should melt your heart.  If something doesn’t reach you on a personal level, let it go.  It’s hard enough dealing with everything that does.

~ Judi Culbertson, The Clutter Cure:  Three Steps to Letting Go of Stuff, Organizing Your Space & Creating the Home of Your Dreams

From the archives. March 2012.

I have spent the last few weeks sorting and cleaning, followed by more sorting and cleaning.  Goodwill and our local library are going to be sick of seeing me.  They might even start turning me away to avoid a clutter-fest of their own as a result of accepting all of my donations.

It’s crowded in here. (From the archives. March 2012.)

I’m not even close to being finished with the sorting and cleaning, sorting and cleaning, sorting and cleaning.  I never really thought of myself as a hoarder, but I’m beginning to wonder if years of accumulation might well be the same as years of hoarding.  The good news, however, is that I was never so far gone that I didn’t leave room for more.  The occasional decluttering sprees over the past few years have kept things from tipping over from cluttered to hoarding.

Creating a little space. (From the archives. March 2012)

Give me the discipline to get rid of the stuff that’s not important, the freedom to savor the stuff that gives me joy, and the patience not to worry about the stuff that’s messy but not hurting anybody.

~ Vinita Hampton Wright, Simple Acts of Moving Forward:  A Little Book About Getting Unstuck

Even the outdoors is cluttered. (Leaving the archives and coming back to the present, or near present.)

Letting go of things, I’ve learned, creates a great sense of relief and space.  It’s an openness that cannot exist when every nook and cranny is filled with something.  It refreshes and purifies the heart, the mind, and the soul.  It’s also a lot of work!

Decluttering the sky

As long as you derive inner help and comfort from anything, you should keep it.  If you were to give it up in a mood of self-sacrifice or out of a stern sense of duty, you would continue to want it back, and that unsatisfied want would make trouble for you.  Only give up a thing when you want some other condition so much that the thing no longer has any attraction for you, or when it seems to interfere with that which is more greatly desired.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Trees know all about simplicity and when to let go.

Today is day 2 for me on the 2013 Whole Living Action Plan.  I’m decluttering myself as well as my surroundings.  I’ve tried out the recipes, tried out the plan for a day here and there, and now I’m ready to jump in as fully as I can.  We have family obligations and plans coming up, but I’ve come to realize that if I keep putting this off, it will be 2014 and I’ll still be trying to find the perfect time for a detox/elimination diet.

An empty nest

I’m not striving for perfection.  The idea is to do the best I can with what I have to work with.  The next few months look to be quite busy (starting with a visit with my granddaughters soon…yay!!).

Moon When the Trees Pop (Dakotah Sioux name for the February full moon)

The full moon rise last night was lovely.  I didn’t capture it very well (too lazy to haul out the tripod), but brought you a glimpse of it anyhow.  Just in case you missed it.

Colors from this morning’s sunrise. I know this is a dreadful picture. I just wanted to show you the colors.  The red was incredible.

That should do it from me and from the Bogs for today.  It’s time for me to get back to the spring cleaning.  The rains arrived around noon today, and they’re saying we could get up to an inch or more.  The prediction is for a rain/snow mix tonight and tomorrow.  After that, it’ll be snow for the next three days or so.  Lake effect, I imagine.  From the looks of things, it’s going to stay cold for a while.  Winter will have the upper hand.  I hope the budding trees and flowers hang in there throughout this cold spell.

Rainy day

Before I go, here is some music I very much enjoyed and thought you might enjoy, too:

To hear more music, check out World Music — the Music Journey.

Another glimpse of the moon

Have a delightful day, evening, night… wherever and whenever you are on the spectrum of time.

Note:  I used photos from the archives and from last year’s Orchid Mania exhibit at the Cleveland Botanical Garden because I don’t think I’m going to make it up to Cleveland this year for Orchid Mania.  That is somewhat disappointing as all the color and warmth of the exhibit are wonderful for the eyes and spirit after the grays of February.  Oh well.  Maybe next year.

This is where some of the fat clothes used to hang out.

Advertisement

---