I just spent a wonderful week visiting my brother and his new twin babies. I’m thrilled to see him glowing as a new parent. The babies are of course cute and perfect in every way.
My brother and I are standing in front of the vermillion cabinet he just refinished. (Sorry, no cute baby photos while children are in the foster system.)
What really blew me away about the visit is that his house is still incredibly neat and tidy. Even the visiting social worker (the babies are currently in the foster system) can’t help but interrupt her home visit with comments about their paint colors. My brother refinished a cabinet within the first 3 weeks of having newborn babies at home!
What they will do once these two kids start accumulating toys? How would my brother handle the massive amount of doll clothes in our house?
A clean house has been always a little bit of a mystery to me. I often bemoan the challenge of decluttering. It is something I’m very gradually getting better at. I’ve learned some tips along the way, like I should store my knives and cutting boards next to each rather than on opposite sides of the kitchen.
The evolving strength I have in myself seems to be making the biggest difference in getting my stuff to work for me.
Cleanliness has generally fallen apart for me because I don’t know where something goes or what purpose it has in my life. Paper is my biggest disaster area. What do I need to keep and where?
When I am really clear on what I want (or what I’m wanting a certain object to help me achieve), I experience a little breakthrough in decluttering and organizing. Each time I feel a little clearer about who I am and what I want, its easier for me to see what things are supporting me and which ones are in the way. I can focus on the clothes I really love, pass on the books that no longer speak to me, and shift my filing system.
I’ve had a lot of fun creating the healing room in my basement. In the past few years it has been overrun by a mess of toys because there was no clear other purpose for the room. Having the clear goal of making the space a container for healing and meditation has helped me transform it into something beautiful. Even my daughter likes it more (and I had to vacuum up some of her fallen sequins this morning).
I doubt that I will ever become tidy like my brother. But I wonder how the stuff in my life will change as I stand more and more firmly in myself. I like to talk a lot about the health and spiritual benefits of my movement work and I would love it if I could add a neater home to the list!
Still a bit messy,
Emily
p.s. Are you looking for a stronger anchor in yourself to help you with a messy home or messy life? I love giving people the support and skills they need to feel rooted in who they are.
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Relax and refresh through the movement and meditation of the Healing Waters Qigong practice group Wednesday afternoons at Lake Hiawatha Park.
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