Spring cleaning. That’s a thing I should probably subscribe to. Sounds healthy. I see it as environmental, physical, and mental.
Physical detox: In my final herbal CSA, I received a packet of herbs traditionally used for detox: burdock, dandelion, licorice, cinnamon bark- all yum! For this roots brew I made a decoction (bring to boil and simmer for 10 -15 min) to get the full nutrients. So, I decocted my detox (say that three times without giggling.)
Environmental detox. I did take a box of stuff to a local electronics recycling event this past weekend (buh-bye broken cd player from 1989!) Even though I didn’t see that box in my sight everyday, I knew it was there, and getting rid of it was quite freeing. Not doing any other clearing out, though. My to-do list is long enough, thanks.
I know I have control over the crap in my home, but it doesn’t always seem that way. It’s as if there are invisible strings attached to each object with a person or memory, and if I get rid of it, the memory will disappear, or the person will be alerted and know I threw it away and secretly hate me. (Please tell me I’m not alone here.) I am by no means a hoarder. That 1989 cd player was working until last year (“They don’t make ’em like they used to!“)
Plus, I live with two teens, my husband, and my mom. My mom. She had to move from a large home filled with beautiful things she spent years choosing and decorating (She’s got a good eye!) into a very small apartment above us. I gave her a wee storage area under the basement stairs, and there’s some space in the garage, but she likes to buy stuff and has no where to put it. So she buys them for other people (aka: me.) Not to go too much into this (since my mom reads this blog from time to time…) but I learned that unhealthy attachment to things from a certain someone.
In the middle are my husband and son. They like certain things to hold on to (hundreds of Legos…outdated biology textbooks) but a shelf here or there, not entire rooms. Is that a guy thing?
Then there’s the other extreme. My daughter spent a couple years getting rid of stuff, taking down things from her walls, and generally getting extreme minimalist on us. It’s one thing to declutter, but another to de-everything. This past year she had an epiphany (and I’ll keep it vague since this is public; not that she ever reads my blog…) that what she really needed was to declutter her mind. But she didn’t understand how, so she kept trying to create space in her physical world instead.
Mental detox. My daughter and I are both working on this. We are very different people, so approach it in different ways. She’s being expressive with beautiful art, journaling, and doing awesome outdoorsy exercise stuff on a regular basis. For me? I’ve been drawing lame comics (I’m a strictly stick figure person), yoga, and that 10 minute meditation each day (#$$#&*^$%#!!!)
I’ll focus on what I’m good at. Tea! My detox decocted is a delectable selection (grin.)
Rise untethered.
Move with intention.
Be grand.
