Who can’t benefit from seeing the world through a different lens and getting a new lease on life?
Lately, my focus is finding 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 unsurprisingly, there will be weeds to pull out. Your garden’s success works in concert with you and the environment, providing a sense of accomplishment, pride and beauty for all to enjoy. Keeping a well-conditioned mind is like tending a garden. We clear the mind of old beliefs and attitudes, choose our ideas and 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, as disciplining the mind often requires support. With a positive attitude, we will feel happier including those around us.
So since every 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 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 heavy, dark 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 drain your energy.
4. Go through your winter clothes and give away anything that doesn’t fit you, makes you feel less than fabulous, or is too small for you. Metaphor: Release anything that no longer serves your highest good.
5. Handling anything, including clutter, is best handled if it is broken down into manageable tasks. The less busy a room looks, the more you see. Metaphor: Just for today, know that you can handle anything. Strive to remember that less is more in almost every area of your life.
6. Before giving away material goods, thank them and bless them for serving you. Metaphor: Release 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 the 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 are having trouble 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 to 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 kindness. Accept that everything changes and ends.
11. Be proactive about 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. Swap out those sheets, blankets, and cushions for lighter, 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 used before. Set your mood free with laughter, a whimsical attitude, and more fun. Changing your mind also changes your perspective.
13. Take a break from the TV, the phone, and the computer. The sheer amount of information these days leaves us with 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 house. 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?