Monday. Wasn’t it just Monday like, a second ago? Weekends go entirely too fast, I literally feel like it’s ALWAYS Monday. I spent some time this weekend doing a visual analysis of my “art museum”…aka, my home. I managed to determine some “no-joy-sparking” items to get rid of (that felt good), and I started in again on my closet change for spring, and general tidying project. I’ve been slowly doing this for weeks, but it’s time now to really part with my winter “stuff” and pack it away. I pulled out all my spring and summer items (even the ambitious ones that require hot days to wear…because those days are coming, warp speed).
This week is all about tidying up for spring in your closet and your home in general. I’ve read all those books on tidying and de-cluttering. I am really not even exaggerating…ALL of them. I love purging, and do it on a regular basis. Tidying though is different than purging, it’s something you have to do on an ongoing basis to varying degree, and to me it always relaxing in nature and sets things “right”. It’s like taking control of something, when you feel like nothing else can be controlled….it’s creating order in your sanctuary and it soothes the mind no matter what the state of the world at large.
I have definitely passed this obsession down to my kids. If you walk into Ava or Lucia’s room it’s like something out of that movie Sleeping With An Enemy….everything has it’s exact place, down to the inch. They are way worse than I am actually. If you look in Lucia’s closet, her hangers are spaced evenly. There’s a staging quality to everything. If it gets worse there’s probably a disorder I have to worry about, as it is now though it’s probably still just a relatively healthy way for them to feel in control and organized—because that is a comforting feeling.
Spring cleaning is a “thing” because it’s the perfect time of year. The longer days, the milder temperatures, the promise of sunny days. It makes you want to clean, tidy and get rid of whatever is weighing you down. Tackle something small at first, like your closet, just to get your groove on, and then make your way thru the house. My vote is always for the closet first, because it helps you feel great every
morning to have an easy way to get dressed in things you love…it changes your mood for the whole day. I’ve been slowly working on my spring “need” list as I’m closet organizing, and I decided I have too many jeans, and not enough cute casual pants. I’m grabbing these utility pants from Margaret O’Leary because they are adorable on. A bit slouchy, relaxed---and look great with a little white tee. I also need fresh white tees, so I grabbed this one from Prairie. Love the arm length, CUTE!
Tidying is putting things back into the places they go. Organizing is having places set up for your things to go. Purging is throwing away the crap you don’t love and/or need. Everyone is in a different place in terms of what they need to do right now. I’m tidying, because I (for the most part) have a place for things to go, they just aren’t there where they should be. I’m also doing some touch up purging, and getting rid of some things that don’t spark joy so that I can create an environment that is as happy and comforting, and as beautiful as possible. Once that’s done, I’m going to be at my launching off spot for some serious spring growing.....
Since I tend to “go big or go home”, I’m extending my ‘tidying/organizing’ spring cleaning theme to something even bigger than you might first think. Tidying up is not just a physical thing to me, it’s a mental thing too. I’ve found myself in disarray (mentally) with all kinds of things, and I’m trying to put things away in that respect too. Sometimes all those things you “know” get scattered and you just need to regroup them and put them back into the areas they belong. Therapy this past Friday was a good reminder for me, it reminded me of what I already know, but had let get scattered and disorganized. Today Ava starts with the same family therapist, and we start “tidying” up our family systems so that they function in a tolerable way. Sometimes it’s hard to kick it up to the next level, it’s hard to acknowledge a problem fully because it makes it real. But like many times before, now that I’ve recognized the problem, and made steps to actually get the help I need, I’m thinking “why didn’t I do this way earlier? Moral of the story, tidy earlier vs. later.
Other point being, tidying your closet, and home is good….but don’t forget the mental stuff that might need tidying. You can have your perfect sanctuary, but it won’t necessarily feel that way if you have things scattered all over your mind. Usually your environment is an extension of your mind, so if you see things scattered you know where it’s originating. By the same token, you can end up tidying up your environment, and neglect the mind, and then the environment falls right back into disarray. Might as well start the week out on the right foot huh? Here’s to a great week!
Signd, ME {lv}
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