You are officially invited to the Spring Cleaning Clutter Challenge. The end date is June 21st, the first day of summer. As I mentioned before I've got a situation going on in my house and I don't want Niecy Nash and the Clean House crew to show up on my doorstep, looking for my mayhem and foolishness.
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I'm going to break down the challenge into manageable bits so hopefully we can all get to the clean house finish line together.
Every Tuesday, I'll be posting -- and looking to hear from you about how it's going for you.
Inspired by Root reader, "ladeeda," this week, I'm going to work on getting rid of five things every day. I'm going to toss it, give it away and only if I really love it, keep it (and find a place to keep it.)
I'm starting with my closet (which has spilled over and all through my bedroom), then I'm moving onto my bathroom and home office.
Next week, I'll report on what I managed to get rid of and I'll hope you'll post your comments. What did you get rid of? Did you give anything away to good cause? Did getting rid of even five items make you feel good?
This past winter, I met with Melani Lewandowski, a feng shui expert who said that clearing clutter is more than merely housework. The Chinese philosophy of feng shui, or harmonious placement, states that junk begets junk and that by clearing out what you no longer need or love, you make room for more of the good stuff in life.
One of the things that was really striking in my conversation with Melani is how she spoke of the fact that you can honor that something has entered your life -- a vase, for example, given to you by a dear friend but one that is not at all your style, then you can let it go. You can release the vase/table/blanket that doesn't bring you joy and make room for something that will.
Clutter often symbolizes big changes -- big changes that have already occurred and sometimes ones that we're stalling on. So I'm curious. What's going on in your life that makes clutter such an imperative right now? And if you dare, what -- or who -- caused the situation in the first place?
As anybody who's watched the show, Clean House, knows, it's never really about the stuff outside. It's about the stuff going on inside.
I'll show you mine if you show me yours.
