Who can’t benefit from seeing the world through a different lens and getting a fresh lease on life?
Lately, my focus is to find the metaphor in everything, and spring is loaded with them. Take the ubiquitous gardening metaphor. The basics include choosing the plants, clearing the ground, and planting seeds. Fertilizer, water, and sun will nurture and sustain it and, predictably, there will be weeds to pull. The success of your garden works in conjunction with you and the environment, bringing a sense of accomplishment, pride, and beauty for all to enjoy. Maintaining a well-conditioned mind is like tending a garden. We clear the mind of old beliefs and attitudes, choose our ideas, and focus on planting the seeds of positive thinking. We use love, encouragement, and gratitude to neutralize our negative, toxic thoughts. A healthy mental attitude depends on partnering with a power greater than ourselves since disciplining the mind often requires support. With a positive outlook, we will feel happier including those around us.
So, given that each new season is about change – and your home is a reflection of you – here are fourteen ideas and metaphors to help clear the way for this time of rebirth:
1. Open your windows to allow the fresh breath of spring to enter. Feel the warmth of the sun streaming in. Metaphor: Clearing stale, negative air with others creates more s p a c e and energy into your life.
2. To brighten your rooms, shed those dark, heavy draperies and window treatments. Metaphor: Hiding behind your fears prevents the light of who you are to shine through.
3. Eliminate tolerations, i.e., things that you are putting up with that cause stress. Metaphor: Let go of people, places, and situations that siphon your energy.
4. Go through your winter clothes and give away anything that doesn’t fit, makes you feel less than fabulous or that you have outgrown. Metaphor: Release anything that no longer serves your highest good.
5. Managing anything, including clutter, is best handled by breaking it down into manageable tasks. The less busy a room looks, the more you see. Metaphor: Just for today, know that you can handle anything. Strive to remember that less is more in almost all areas of your life.
6. Before giving away material possessions, thank and bless them for serving you. Metaphor: Release toxic people in your life with love and gratitude, for they have taught you something that you needed to learn about yourself.
7. Organizing and cleaning each room is a no-cost way to remove chaos from your home. Metaphor: To invite more calm into your life, cleanse the mind/body/spirit by dumping internal baggage such as unresolved grief, self-imposed obligations, and old beliefs.
8. The way we do anything is the way we do everything. Notice if you have difficulty making changes at home that would make your life easier, calming, and less stressful. Metaphor: Where, how, and what are you resisting in your life that may prevent you from moving forward?
9. Change will keep your relationships fresh and exciting. Make your living s p a c e reflect the love you want by adjusting your environment accordingly. Metaphor: Changelessness in life is death to our spirit. In order to change what’s around us, we have to change.
10. Keep fresh cut flowers. Appreciate their beauty, feel their calming presence, and enjoy them while they last. Metaphor: Allow yourself to feel the gift of life and fill your heart with goodness. Accept that everything changes and ends.
11. Be proactive when nourishing your body. Preparing your own food allows you to be aware of exactly what goes into it. Metaphor: We are responsible for what we feed our mind and soul.
12. Give your front door a fresh coat of paint. Revive your rooms with a splash of new color. Change out those sheets, throws, and cushions to colors that are lighter and brighter. Move things around to make a room look different. Metaphor: Boost your spirits with a new hair style. Wear a color you’ve never worn before. Liberate your mood with laughter, a whimsical attitude, and more fun. Changing your mind also changes your perspective.
13. Take time out from the television, phone, and computer. The enormous amount of input these days leaves us with little room to process anything. Metaphor: Decompress by finding a way to center yourself everyday.
14. Notice how it feels to walk into your home. What needs to be changed? Is it cluttered? Does it represent your tastes or someone else’s? Metaphor: Ask yourself, “How do I want to improve the relationship I have with myself? What internal baggage am I carrying around? Am I living an authentic life?
