Spring Cleaning

I tackled my closets this weekend and began the process of a serious spring cleaning mission. I have been thinking about all the areas of the house that so quickly get disorganized, stuffed and just messy. So this was the weekend to get down to business. I began in the guest room by beginning to go through my spring clothes and packing away the winter clothes. Very quickly I realized how big this job was going to be and that this wasn’t really going to be a relaxing Saturday. I was amazed at how much stuff I was hanging onto that I hadn’t even used or frankly knew was there. So I know the rules about if you haven’t used it in a year get rid of it! But what was keeping me from letting go? Is there really the chance that all my clothes will be dirty someday and I just may need another t-shirt? Is there really the chance that clothes from ten years ago will be in style? How many towels does one home need? So regretfully I began the toss pile and once I got started it felt good! How nice to be able to close a closet without shoving in falling shoes. How nice to hope a guest doesn’t happen to look in that drawer. So on a very simple level I am loving the result of my hard work. Clean closets, more space, less clutter. The thing that’s funny is that I truly am a clean person. Everything to the eye looks shiny, picked up and clean. Just don’t open my closet or drawers! It got me thinking about the many areas of our lives that we allow to get stuffed, cluttered and just plain messy. What keeps us hanging onto what we don’t need? What gets in the way of living with more simplicity? What does it mean to not give enough attention to the hall closets and pantry shelves of our lives? Obviously the spring cleaning got me thinking a bit deeper than making room in my tiny Chicago closets. It made me think about how many times we get stuck in life in not giving certain areas of life and ourselves the attention we deserve and require. How often we are nagged by certain areas of our lives that are filled with chaos or clutter yet we shove the door shut and pretend the mess isn’t there. What a relief to take stock, sort through the disaster, make decisions and have nothing hiding or needing to be covered. It was such a joy to look at my closet this morning and have no mess in sight! I made a resolution to keep it this way and continue sorting. I still have more areas to conquer and maintain but that clean closet gives me motivation. So I hope this notion of spring cleaning inspires you to also roll up your sleeves and perhaps tackle whatever needs to be tidied up a bit. Likewise it may be a good reminder to check in with ourselves and think about what emotional clutter may be getting in the way of us living with more simplicity, freedom and peace of mind. What a nice treat to come back home to a place that invites us in and has nothing to hide.

Peacefully,
Jennifer Schurman,


Jennifer Schurman MA, LCPC sees clients for individual therapy at The Awakening Center. She is a marriage and family therapist who also sees couples and families. She runs the Women's Eating Disorder Therapy Group on Monday evenings. For more information call, (773) 929-6262 x20.

Unplugging Technology and Tuning into Life

Yesterday my Ipod died. This was a minor tragedy in my mind, especially because it doesn’t look like there will be a new one in my future anytime soon. Now if you’re not connected at the ears to your Ipod as I was, I’m willing to bet many of you can insert another electronic device in its place. Anyway I left work last night tired and very annoyed that I couldn’t just plug in and relax as I sat on the bus. I felt like my well-deserved break was being taken away form me. However after my initial annoyance at being able to hear everyone’s conversations around me passed, I actually began to enjoy the ride. I noticed things I had never seen as I looked out the window, despite taking this route daily, and began to enjoy the rhythmic hum of the city. Later on my walk home from the bus stop I noticed how many others were plugged in to their own world, and kinda enjoyed this little outside secret world I had found, even though this world wasn’t a secret at all.

This whole event gave me a new perspective on my daily commute. Instead of feeling lost without my I pod I felt free. This major disappointment of earlier in the day turned out to not be so bad after all. There are hundreds of events in a day that can make us feel good, bad, excited, angry, exhausted, energized, down or on top of the world, but in the end they are just one event and who knows what hundreds of other events they will lead to. The next time one of these events occurs I encourage you to feel your response, but then to let those feelings go. Allow yourself to be open to wherever the consequences of the initial event may take you. You may just be surprised how a seemingly negative event may end up if you’re open to all the possibilities.

Warmly,

Kira Redig

Kira Redig is the art therapy intern at The Awakening Center