Clutter

When you hear the word clutter you immediately think of piles of stuff stashed in corners, on chairs and exercise equipment and in closets. Stuff hidden away, no longer in use but hard to give up.

The thought of "you may need it someday" is ever present.

As this past week brought rains and cooler temperatures I decided to declutter my house.

I started one room, one pile at a time.
I went through closets and drawers. I thinned out my clothes, my dishes, my old pots and pans, I cleaned out my fridge and kitchen cabinets.
I hauled trash bags up from the basement and down from the attic.
I organized and took stock, realizing that I have a lot more stuff than I could ever imagine.

Along the way, while my hands and body were busy my mind was a busy cluttered place too.

I had one of those "off" days yesterday when everyone I met was in my way. I was annoyed by the slightest little things, a car pulling in front of me, an elderly lady driving a car that could not back up, a phone call that made no sense, I was inpatient and grumpy. I was short tempered and mad. At everyone including myself.

All sorts of thoughts have been creeping in my mind and this morning as I sat in the quiet darkness I realized that I needed to declutter my mind, my head, my thoughts.

I needed to get rid of the words that float through my consciousness that do not serve me.
The messages I send myself that do me no good.
It was time to clean out the closet of my heart, mind and soul.

This is tougher than it sounds. When you do a physical cleanup, you take out the trash, put it by the curb and it disappears. Your mind has a tendency to let bad and unsettling thoughts back in! I want to put them in a trash bag and take them to the curb with my unwanted stuff!

Even with the best intentions an off day can be just that. Each and every circumstance I was in yesterday brought me turmoil. I was aware of it and tried my best to turn it around, to think of something good, something useful. At the end of the day I realized that although I fended off most of the bad feelings~ I was still not myself and everybody had better watch out! what did I do? I went to bed at 8:30 hoping that when I woke up I would be back to my old cheery self.
It worked, sort of.

I woke up to a new day, a fresh start but I still needed to declutter my mind, get rid of those thoughts that were bringing me down.
I sat in silence, concentrating on my breathing and nothing else. If my mind wandered I listened to the sounds of the trees, the patter of the rain drops, trying to empty my mind, clear my head and feel good again.

We all have these days, the times when nothing seems right, when everything bothers you, when you feel down and gloomy.

It is OK because as we know, not everyday will be perfect.

Realizing this is half the battle. Give yourself some time each day to take out your mental garbage.

Lighten your load, take a deep breath and let all the bad out with the air!
Change your thoughts~one corner of your mind at a time. You will feel lighter, happier and soon you will be smiling, I hope!