Spring cleaning is a metaphor for life

Who can’t benefit from seeing the world through a different lens and getting a new lease on life?

Lately, my approach is to find the metaphor in everything, and spring is loaded with them. Take the ubiquitous gardening metaphor. The basics include choosing the plants, cleaning the soil, and planting seeds. Fertilizers, water and sun will nourish and sustain it and, as expected, there will be weeds to pull. The success of your garden works in tandem with you and the environment, providing 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, we choose our ideas and we focus on planting the seeds of positive thinking. We use love, encouragement, and gratitude to neutralize our negative and 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 attitude, we will feel happier including those around us.

So, since 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 moment of rebirth:

1. Open your windows to let in the fresh spring air. Feel the warmth of the sun pouring in. Metaphor: Clearing stale, negative air with others creates more space and energy in your life.

2. To brighten up your rooms, get rid of those dark and heavy curtains and drapes. Metaphor: Hiding behind your fears prevents the light of who you are from shining.

3. Eliminate tolerances, that is, the things that you are putting up with and that cause you stress. Metaphor: Let go of the people, places, and situations that draw your energy.

4. Go through your winter clothes and give away anything that doesn’t fit you well, makes you feel less than fabulous, or is too small for you. 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 seems, 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 goods, thank them and bless them for serving you. Metaphor: Release the toxic people from your life with love and gratitude, because they have taught you something you needed to learn about yourself.

7. Organizing and cleaning each room is a free way to remove chaos from your home. Metaphor: To invite more calm into your life, cleanse your mind/body/spirit by getting rid of internal baggage, such as unresolved grievances, self-imposed obligations, and old beliefs.

8. The way we do anything is the way we do everything. See if you have difficulty making changes at home that would make your life easier, calmer, and less stressful. Metaphor: Where, how and what are you resisting in your life that can prevent you from moving forward?

9. Change will keep your relationships fresh and exciting. Make your living space reflect the love you want by adjusting your surroundings accordingly. Metaphor: Immutability in life is death for our spirit. To change what surrounds 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 in nourishing your body. Preparing your own food allows you to be aware of exactly what is in 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 touch of new color. Change those sheets, blankets and cushions for lighter and brighter colors. Move things around to make a room look different. Metaphor: lift your spirits with a new hairstyle. Use a color that you have never worn before. Release your mood with laughter, a whimsical attitude, and more fun. Changing your mind also changes your perspective.

13. Take a break from the TV, phone, and computer. The sheer amount of information these days leaves us little room to process anything. Metaphor: Decompress by finding a way to center yourself every day.

14. Notice how you feel when you enter your home. What needs to be changed? Is it messy? Does it represent your tastes or someone else’s? Metaphor: Ask yourself, “How do I want to improve my relationship with myself? What internal baggage do I carry with me? Am I living an authentic life?”