Secrets of a happy farmer from 1913

July...comes around only once a year. I know it may seem like we are all on a race to the end of the year. In reality, we are in a circle. July is back, she circles around every year...this same time, same messages, same wisdom.

July rings summer more than any other month.

Are you pausing long enough to welcome her or him in? Give space to play, to pause to be! To eat hot dogs, lemonade and frozen ice cream on a stick? Am I?

We need to. Play, rest and just being are equally as important as goals, achievements and focus. They balance each other out.

July keeps us sane!

Question! What does summer mean to you? Do it! At least a little bit.

A note about Thomas Mitchell. The author of the following quote. As I was looking up a link for you, I found Thomas Mitchell wrote his essays in 1913. Prior to world war 1. I have even more awe for his timeless wisdom. Enjoy!

"One of the best secrets of a happy life is the art of extracting comfort and sweetness from every circumstance...

People are always looking for happiness at some future time and in some new thing, or some new set of circumstances, in possession of which they some day expect to find themselves.

But the fact is, if happiness is not found now, where we are, and as we are, there is little chance of it ever being found. There is a great deal more happiness around us day by day than we have the sense or power to seek and find.

If we are to cultivate the art of living, we should cultivate the art of extracting sweetness and comfort out of everything, as the bee goes from flower to flower in search of honey."

Thomas Mitchell, a farmer, on happiness:

Source: Essays on Life

shared by James Clear in his weekly newsletter

Wabi-Sabi Beauty

Rebooting our Immune System

Good morning, It's early Sat morning as I writing you.  How are you doing this morning?  We are in some strange and stressful times.  How are you managing all this?  I've found I have days of feeling super confident and powerful which will be followed by a day of wondering and low energy.  I know this is normal, it is stress showing up.  We all have stress.  The stress level of our entire world has exponentially increased.

Yesterday I was reading one of my favorite books.  Born to Run- if you follow me, you know I'm a huge fan of journeys. exploration, nature, human nature and running... this book has it all in spades.  It's about modern day ultra athletes and an ancient running people the Tarahumara.  On page 37 they are talking about a group of Tarahumara who started living the modern life...with it came foods they had "rarely eaten - soda, chocolate, rice, sugar, butter, flower.  They developed a taste for starch and treats.....that was twenty years ago. "Now, there are no runners in Yerbabuena."  What I know for sure...Food is Medicine.  Food can also be a thief.  Poor food choices steal our health.

This passage struck a cord with me.  I've been giving myself more than normal treats, comfort foods, baked goods, chocolate, butter... rich foods.  My body doesn't work as well on these foods. My brain gets foggy.  My immune system isn't as powerful.  I know eating has a tremendous impact of my own vitality.  I've known this for years.  Just because we know something doesn't mean we always are perfect- hardly. 

 Nutrition and stress are directly linked.  Up your nutrition...your stress decreases...lower your nutrition...your stress will increase.

I run a pretty clean personal health ship because I like to feel good.  When I'm stressed, I up my self care...which includes nourishing foods. foods that reduce my own stress.  Lately I'm feeling signs of high stress... I'm more emotional, fuzzy brained, up's and downs in my energy, lowered decision making... that's my body, mind and spirit talking to me.  I'm listening...

I invite you to join me.  For the next two weeks, I'll be upping self care and lowering things I know drop my vitality, focus and immunity.  Two weeks isn't very long. It's doable.  I know from experience rebooting my vitality is priceless.- it is essential.  

Wabi-Sabi and Virtual Concerts...beauty is very much alive and well

"Beauty can be coaxed out of ugliness. 

 Wabi-Sabi is ambivalent about separating beauty from non-beauty or ugliness...

Wabi-Sabi suggests that beauty is a dynamic event that occurs between you and something else.  

Beauty can spontaneously occur at any moment 

given the proper circumstances, context, or point of view.  

Beauty is thus an altered state of consciousness, 

an extradition moment of poetry and grace."  

                                                                          Leonard Koren
                                                     Wabi-Sabi for artists, designers, poets and philosophers

In the midst of COVID-19.. there are beautiful things happening.  We are thinking differently, coming together in ways that were thought impossible just a month ago.
  

Virtual concerts are one of those ways...

This is from the Berklee College of Music...

I know it's scary and hard out there.  We are all shaken out of our normal, our of our ruts, our habits.  We will get through this, and in the process we get to expand what is possible.

                  "Beauty can be coaxed out of ugliness"  Leonard Koren

                                          Denise Frakes
                                                Home and Life Coach...at your service

                   

6 ways to turn your New Year's Resolution into a successful habit!

 The average New Year's resolution lasts for just 18 days!!  18 days is just the beginning of a good love story.
 Unless we know the secret to keeping our resolutions and turning them into a love story. Those beautiful, passionate wishes and dreams we have for 2020 will be gone in 18 days.

Why do we fail and why are we afraid to even try?  We can blame our brains.  We are all creatures of habit.  Our brains are wired to create habits.  Habits help us go on automatic pilot, which conserves our energy.  We have super efficient brains.  It is our gift and like all gifts it can also become our Achilles' heel.

Once our brain decides our consistent actions are a habit- it will hold on for dear life.  Did you know most of our deep rooted habits are formed before we are 9 years old?  We learn by mirroring our family and those closest to us.  This is one of the main reasons family habits get passed from generation to generation.  We are wired to repeat.  That's the good new and bad new.  Great if you have beautiful healthy habits.  Bad news if your habits are less than awesome.

So what does this have to do with New Year's resolutions and the 18 day average?  Everything!!!  When we make a new years resolution we need to change habits.  Before we can add on a new habit we need to at least identify what habit we want to reduce or illuminate.  Real change is habit changing. Or substituting one action for another.

 Resolutions give us vision...but it's the daily actions that gives us results. 

Habits require:  Consistency, Persistency and Tender Loving Care

   Research says the average habit takes 66 days to become a habit.  A more complicated habit can take up to 254 days... and that is if the new habit is practiced with daily frequency and diligence.  If we don't take consistent care, in about 18 days our existing  habits will rise up and take their rightful space in our brains again.  This overrides our beautiful New Year's Resolutions and leaves them to wilt.

Think of Your new years habits as baby seeds.  Seeds need time to sprout, to grow roots to make it past the dirt and into sunshine.

6 tips to turn resolutions into totally doable habits that grow deep roots!

1.  Make you new goal a tiny daily action.  Doable- everyday in any weather.  I know want big changes... the best way to get there is through habits.  Start with a habit that is so simple and small An action you can do everyday not matter what...even on those days when you run out of time, have company show up, it's raining, you have a cold...life happens.  On the great days, you can do more but the key to a habit is persistence, frequency and consistency.  Doing a little bit every day. 1 mile or 15 minutes of walking, Unplugging from social media at 9pm...

2.  Tag it with an existing habit.  What do you already do everyday?  Add your habit to that habit.  Your brain wont complain.  It's like adding a chicken to the hen house at night.  You already have the space and time...Your brain likes that.

3.  Use time habits.  Time is consistent. We are habitual about what we do at certain times of the day.  Add your new habit to your morning, when you get home from work, before you settle in and watch TV, turn on the computer each night, before bed...add in your new healthy habit.

4.  Give it an ending date.   Instead of telling your brain.  "You have to do this the rest of your life..."  Say "I'm going to try this for 66 days and then see how we are doing."  At the end of 66 days you can make a intentional decision to adjust your habit, stop it or continue... Giving yourself an out, reduces stress. Staying with your new habit past 66 days gives you time to nourish a habit and see how it is impacting your life...  (1000 days of continual action moves you to becoming a master...)

5.  Give it a home.  By having a consisting time of day or a place in your schedule, you give your new habit a home.  We need to create space for what is truly important. Everything and everyone feels better when there is a nourishing home to go to.  Habits are the same way.  Create a cozy home for your friend.

6  Build one habit at a time.  Habits need care and focus.  It's better to fully develop one true habit than watch a huge dream wash away again this year.  Instead of one big new years resolution, change a habit a month, or 6 this year or one per season. In a month or two you can start up a another new habit... It's better to slowly create sustainable life changing habits over an entire year- than have one big dream loose footing in 18 days.

One little change can start a domino effect of many changes.  By cultivating habits we use our brains to help us create change.  If you want to learn more... one of my favorite resources and inspirations for this blog was Tom Corely's book:  Change your habits, Change your life.  It's an easy read that packs a big punch...kind of like habits.

Start here:  Look at your wishes, dreams, new year's resolutions or even the word or intention of the year.  Look at a habit you might want to reduce.... or a habit you can add.  (habit- daily persistent action) Apply your resolution habit... to the one or more of the 6 tips and turn your wishes into habits.

Let me know what and how your are doing!  Having support is good for habits and goals... we are over 65% more likely to achieve our goals with support.  I love being a coach!!

Happy New Year and New Decade!!
          Denise- home and life coach

FYI:  If you click here to buy Tom's book.  I got set up as an affiliate of Amazon this year so I can add income to support this blog.  If you want to support me, please by the book through the link, hire me to speak at your events or as your own personal coach.  Thank you and happy habit creating...

What day should you clean your house?

I have given this question a tremendous amount of thought... Seriously, odd amounts of ponderings. When I was a kid, my mom cleaned on Saturdays...which meant I cleaned on Saturdays.  Over the years I've tried cleaning on Saturdays- all times, Monday mornings, Tuesday afternoons, Sunday nights, hardly ever on Thursdays and Friday mornings.

I explore cleaning...it's a thing … My quest has been long and deep

Cleaning re-boots our lives and un-muddles our homes.  It creates a cozy, nourishing space to rest and play.  Cleaning is even one of the 7 essentials for a healthy home.  I can go on and on...you know I can.  I've written about cleaning on this blog for 10 years!  A kindly cleaned home is good for the soul.  This I get, no question there is value of what cleaning does for our lives.  But...

When do we clean???

The when of cleaning...here are my discoveries from a life of cleaning as a practice...

Cleaning needs space.  If I don't have a designated time and day to clean, cleaning gets put off and before I know it my house is muddled, dust bunnies run wild and I no longer have a cozy life.  Having a rhythm to this practice of cleaning- creates a natural ease in your life.  Cleaning needs space- consistent time just for cleaning...putting your life back in order.

 Early Friday morning is my favorite time.

    Each day of the week has a natural energy to it.  It's like what farmers do when they plant with the moon's rhythms.   There is a time to grow, to weed, to plant and a time to rest. The days of the week have a similar feel.  Friday's has the energy of completion for the week, love and art.  This is the perfect energy for cleaning.  I get my home in order and I use cleaning as a lovely practice of love and artistic play.  Super early Fridays morning is my absolutely my preferred space for home TLC

 When I need my creativity to be ignited.  

   Cleaning jump starts my brain for writing and creating.  If I want to write about cleaning, or give a talk on clutter, the best way to dig in is to start with cleaning. We get ideas when we shower, go on walks, cook etc.  By getting out of our brain and into methodical physical movement, our brains relax and our creativity gets a kick start. Cleaning cleans my brain.

 When I'm stressed, feeling ungrounded or don't know where to start... I clean.

    Cleaning is the great de-stressor.  Having my home in order makes me feel like my life is in order... When my home is messy...it's usually a sign my life is going in too many directions.  Cleaning brings me back to center and relaxes my nervous system.  When my thoughts are muddled, I organize my books and paper.  I use cleaning as productive therapy.

For 2 hours. 

   Like all things, cleaning will take up whatever time I give it.  I like two hours.  By cleaning in a designated 2 hour block, my mind will stay clear and focused.  I will get whatever needs done- done.  And here is the bonus...by only giving myself 2 hours to clean, I focus more on prevention during the week so when I do clean I have less to do.  Be firm with yourself- set a time boundary for your cleaning and then be super focused and present when you do clean.  (shut off distractions)

 

After and before... 
   After a big project or event, cleaning re-grounds me and re-boots my space.  After a trip, work project, party... my home and life need to be cleaned up and put away before I move on.  On the opposite side, I clean before I begin a project or have an event.  I did extra cleaning before we had thanksgiving at our house.  This type of cleaning is more like a project and event related vs weekly maintenance.  Having a clean home helps you welcome people into your home---with less stress.

Did that help?  Here is the thing.  Cleaning is a gift or it is a burden.  It supports you or depletes you.  How you do your work has more to do with your attitude, habits and wisdom than it does the actual work.  It is what we say it is.

Happy cleaning,
          Denise... traveler of life chores and dust bunnies

How to Activate Your Super Power in Work

Go from focus to play & ignite your super power

 According to Cal Newport, in his book Deep Work, our ability to work fully focused and undistracted is a super power.  According to Brandon Burchard in his book High Performance Habits, taking a productive pause between focused working segments is just as important.

 Focused Deep Work will catapult us forward on our projects and out of overwhelm.

The Intentional Pause will keep our minds sharp and let us finish our day invigorated. 

I agree!

"Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It’s a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship. In short, deep work is like a super power in our increasingly competitive twenty-first century economy." Cal Newport  Deep Work

The practice of deep work
 100% fully present
 monotasking - one very specific project or task
set timer
phones off
social media off
tv off
all interruptions paused
task - goal clear
focus 100 % on project
Benefit- super power activated

The practice of intentional pausing 
100% present and unplugged from focused task
set timer 5-10-15 minutes
step outside
stretch- move:  especially if you have been sitting at a desk
hydrating and balancing your blood sugar
breathe from your belly
play, throw a ball,  juggle, skip, dance
take a short walk
Look at nature
Eat your lunch outside- away from your desk
Focus 100% away from work
Benefit- super power activated

Repeat throughout your workday or project

 When your timer goes off. Stop!
 Step away from your desk or project.   Think recess, play, shut off brain

Set your timer for the pause too.  Distractions are everywhere- even in our play

Value and commit to pausing as much as you are to the work.
The Pause is equally as important as the work itself.

The pause is what will keep your mind sharp and your energy strong.  It is what will help you finish the day refreshed.

By becoming fully present and pausing we give our brains a chance to turn on their super powers.

Challenge:
Try deep work and intentional pausing for a day.  Let me know how it goes.
This practice is incredibly effective on mentally challenging tasks but equally helpful on boring or mundane tasks.   This practice of focusing on and then off, can be used on any task from writing a grant, downsizing your paper clutter, to even watching TV.  The most important part is to become present, fully intentional of your task and setting your timer to help you focus and then reboot.

Stay young with a Wild Spirit

Keep your wild spirit healthy  We all have wild spirits- they are timeless.  When I talk on clutter or cleaning or Mondays or food or chores, I'm thinking of our wild spirits. How do we let go of what diminishes and muddles our beautiful wild spirits?  How do we wake up refreshed, look in the mirror and see shining eyes smiling back?  How do we cultivate spontaneous laughter, serendipity and wonder? ...

Last night before I dozing off I read one of my favorite passages from John O'Donohue's Anam Cara book of Celtic Wisdom.  This morning I sprung out of bed - inspired.  What lights up your wild spirit????  (Thank you Gretchen and Leslie for sharing with me Anam Cara and Iona)

The Passionate Heart Never Ages 

Page 187-188 Anam Cara by John O'Donohue

"I know some very old people who have hearts full of roguery, devilment and fun; there is a sparkle in their presence.  When you meet them, you have a sense of light, lightness and gaiety. 

 Sometimes in very old bodies there are incredibly young wild souls looking out at you.  It is so invigorating to meet a wild old person who has remained faithful to their wild life force.

  Meister Eckhart said that, too, in a more formal way:  There is a place in the soul that is eternal.  He says time makes you old, but that there is a place in the soul that time cannot touch.  It is a lovely thing to know this about yourself. 

 Even though time will inscribe your face, weaken your limbs, make your movements slower and finally empty your life, nevertheless there is a still a place in your spirit that time can never get near.  You are as young as you feel.

If you begin to feel the warmth of your soul, there will be a youthfulness in you that no one will ever be able to take away from you.

Put more formally, this is a way of inhabiting the eternal side of your life.

It would be sad on your one journey through life to miss out on this eternal presence around you and within you."

I get it, life comes with chores, irksomes and residue.  The secret to life, why I coach and my own passion, is to keep on cleaning off life's residues, to minimize the clutter in your life, your monkey mind's chatter.   Nourishing a space, creating time and energy to keep our beautiful, wild, spirits alive and well... no matter what what our age.

As always, wishing you happy travels on your journey,
     Denise Frakes
       Home and Personal Coach.... for a nourishing space and healthy spirit

3 tips to turn your daily chores into space to breathe

Cleaning, laundry, picking up, driving to work, mowing the lawn, grocery shopping .... the list goes on. What you consider a chore is highly unique to you but there area few "chores" that seem to rise to the top.  As a professional cleaner and educator on the happy healthy home.  Cleaning is the one I hear the most. Since we spend our lives doing chores, wouldn't it be wise of us to make friends... sooner than later

"All work is important.  All work is of value.  The Amish honor what we would call the process and the product.  Both.  For them it's all connected.  ..... There is no need to rush to get one thing over so you can get on to something more important.  .... The Amish approach everything they do with the same attitude.  They had shown me that any type of work could be meaningful.  It is the spirit in which you do it that makes the difference".
                    Notes from the book Plain and Simple by Sue Bender (click to order - great read!!)

 This book was recommended to me by Dana P.  Thank you Dana. In December of 2008 she and I had a great conversation about chores, joy and practicing.  This book and our conversation have stayed with me and inspired me for over 10 plus years.

So how do you turn your chores into rich space to live?  I have thought and played with this idea for years.  And to be honest, when I'm flowing in my life it is easy.  When I'm struggling in my life I lean on these chores to ground me and give me rhythm.  When I'm overbooked, rushing around and stressed I hope I remember to use my chores as space to breathe and relax. This is the practice- remembering and then doing.  As Sue says in her book... "it isn't what I'm doing but the spirit in which I do that makes all the difference."

This practice is personal.  What you consider a chore is highly personal to you.  The question to ask yourself is... what do you dread?  What do you find irritating, exhausting or boring? What is a waste of your time and energy?  Pick a chore.  Play with it and see if you can't improve your relationship.

Tips for making a chore a gift....

1.  Give it space.  What we don't value we don't give space in our lives.  This translates to rushing, sticking our chores in to small spaces, odd times and no energy.  If you need to clean or mow.  Then give it space to do so.  When you have space you will naturally relax.

2.  Un-Judge your tasks.  Everything you do is important.  Projects, making money and having fun may seem more important and they are important but consider chores as a balance.  Chores are grounding, rhythmic and nourishing activities that support you and relax your nervous system.

3.  Use this time and space to play, to create to practice.  We tend to always be busy.  Are you looking for time to meditate, to create, to exercise or just be?  Well consider using your daily and weekly chores as time to hold your posture, to breathe, to relax, to wonder and ponder.  The possibilities of what you can do with this time is infinite.

We all need time and space to breathe.

As always, I wish you inspired travels.
    Denise Frakes
Home and Personal Coach

Sorting books- refreshing your spirit

One of my favorite ways to refresh my life is to sort my books.  Overtime my bookcases will fill with ideas and authors.  At some point, I will need to reboot.  I woke up Sunday morning and as I passed my bookcase I had huge desire to play with my books.  Not to read them but to sort them.  My bookshelf had become stagnate and over flowing.  Time to unmuddle and reboot.

Sunday afternoon I pulled all my books out and set them on the bed.  Organizing into categories.  My brain started seeing trends.  I took care to notice how I was feeling.  Was this idea/subject current?  Was I holding onto someone else's thoughts?  Did I feel excited to dive in or obligated to read?  How long have I traveled with this book?  Was it this an old idea that I have fully integrated and moved beyond?  Did I like the title, the color and the size of the book?  Questions and emotions flowed.

I moved my books from pile to pile.  Some got moved into my hubby's bookcase.  They were his thoughts- no need to hold onto someone else's thoughts.
A pile of books to sell or donate started to pile up.  Books I used to love but.. stacked up. Books I think I "should" read but I know myself.  Books I want to explore got stacked. Books I want to pop into to and randomly read a passage or chapter stacked up.  Books I want to read to improve my skills piled up.... And on it went. questions and movement.

Thoughts sorted and refreshed

In the end, I had gathered up 21 books.  21 books varied in topic, size, age, color and author.  A little pile of books I can draw from.  Other books got sorted by subject, type and look and thoughtfully placed into my other book cases.  Many books are going to be taken to 1/2 price books.

This sorting process is what I call sorting my thoughts.  By sorting my books I get to refresh my thoughts, discovered ideas that are not as important as they once were. I discovered old books I wanted to revisit and new ideas I wanted to dive into.  By narrowing down my books I gave myself space to explore.  Now I have a little pile of inspired and energized books.

Uncluttering your books is an effective way of uncluttering your thoughts, discovering your passions and letting go of what no longer supports your life, your spirit, your mind and your health.

Books are personal.  My aunt used to say they were like having friends around.  I agree.  This emotional connection is also one of the reasons they are hard to let go of.  Sort your thoughts, let go of old thoughts. Let your life breathe and create space for new ideas and thoughts to flow your way.

If you are feeling stagnate, uncertain, over whelmed - sort your books.  If your bookcases are over stuffed and spilling out at the seams - sort your books.  If you have held onto your college books, books from 10 years ago - sort your books.  If the title, size and color or a book makes you cringe - sort your books.

Sorting books and uncluttering is not work it is a spiritual practice of discovery.
         Wishing you a clear mind, breathing space and passions ignited.
                                Denise

A tip on cookbooks:
      When looking at the recipes ask yourself do I want to eat this custard or actually cook it.  A trip to a restaurant with a friend to sample and dine is better than old dusty cookbooks taking up space in your life.

Heartfelt work Brings Beauty

When I read something that lights me up I need to share.  This spring John O Donohue's passage called Heartful Work Brings Beauty did it for me again!!

"When you consider it, the world of your action and activity is a very precious world.
  What you do should  be worthy of you;
 it should be worthy of your attention and dignity, and conform to your respect for yourself.
  If you can love what you do, then you will do it beautifully.
 You might not love your work at the beginning;
  yet the deeper side of your soul can help you bring the light of love to what you do.
  Then, regardless of what you do, you will do it in a creative and transforming way."

                                                                                                Anam Cara
                                                                                               The book of Celtic Wisdom
                                                                                                   John, O'Donohue

This spring, I think I have recited this little gem to every group or person I worked with!!  Because if we can learn to love our work, no matter what it is, it will transform our lives!!

                   Just a thought,
                           Denise

Do the vampire test

I stumbled upon a book.  One of the best ways I know to get unstuck is to engage your creative self.  While looking for books on creativity for inspiration and mind shifts, I came upon Austin Kleon's work.  His work is raw and honest.  He gives you permission to love your garbage.

Tonight I was flipping through his book, on page 133 of Show your Work, was a heading followed by a quote:

The Vampire Test

"Whatever excites you, go do it.

Whatever drains you, stop doing it"

                         Derek Sivers

Can clutter clearing get anymore clear than this?   When you clear your clutter- your mental clutter, your physical clutter, your emotional clutter and your spiritual clutter, put it through the Vampire Test.  

I'll keep reading, at this point I'm not even sure if this is what Austin meant by the Vampire test.  If so, brilliant, if not we'll thank you for the inspiration!

     Be fearless in your decisions,

           Denise

Clutter Clearning Essential

Today is Sunday.  I'm sitting at my writing desk listening to the rain fall.  My grandpa built this desk for my dad 30 some years ago.  I wonder, did he know he was building my writing desk?  Did my dad know what it would become when he gave it to me?

Life is a series of curiosities.

There is a time and a season for everything.  Today is the day to pause.  To play. To write and maybe make a nice big batch of buckwheat pancakes.

When I talk about living residue free or clearing out our clutter I'm really talking about giving your spirit a little breathing space.  Freedom.  A day to sit, ponder and eat homemade buckwheat pancakes.  Time and space with no agenda.  Watch the clouds go by.  Wait for a chicken egg to hatch. Open a book and then sleep with it in your lap.  These are the pauses between our breaths.  These are essential moments.

I love helping clear clutter.  I love cleaning off the residues of life.  We are all whole and perfect.  My work is not to fix anything but to uncover it's essence.  To help you clean off, clear out the residues of life that diminish your inner brilliance- that is my job, my passion and my life's mission.

My work is really two fold.  Remove what doesn't belong.  Nurture what wants to grow and thrive.  Today, I'm a writer playing at my desk.  Tomorrow a farmer pulling weeds and planting crops.  Today I write not as part of my to-do list or master plan.  I write because that is what makes me happy.

Now I think I'll grind up some buckwheat and make pancakes.

Wishing you time to breathe and play,
       Denise

Creativity and clutter are roommates

     It is the wee hours of the morning and creativity has struck.  As I write, I'm still in my pjs drinking my little cup of hot lime water and snacking on a little orange.  I'm up early to get my work done today.  But before I settle in my office for some early morning -very productive- efficient- serious work, I pause and play.  My morning play usually consists of yoga, watching my cats play, morning stares and whatever else strikes my fancy.

   While stretching this am, I'm inspired to read a few pages from Elizabeth Gilbert's new book: Big Magic.  For those of you who want to join me in this conversation, I'm reading chapter 2 Enchantment.  Here Elizabeth is giving you two ways to be creative. One is the old method of suffering.  Another way is a partnership with inspiration.

   "You can receive your ideas with respect and curiosity, not with drama and dread. You can clear out whatever obstacles are preventing you from living your most creative life, with the simple understanding that whatever is bad for you is also probably bad for your work." pg 40-41

    Elizabeth gets struck with inspiration and has decided to partner up with her idea.  And this is how she starts...

    "I then did what you do when you get serious about a project or pursuit, I cleared space for it. I cleaned off my desk, literally and figuratively." pg 42-43

   And there you have it!   Are you following me??   Clearing your clutter is not about your stuff it is about living your live with creativity, with spark, with your spirit of adventure and with your full attention!!

   Clutter - whether it is the stuff that fills our homes, the to-dos on our to-do lists, the conversations that loop over and over in our minds, the time we spend doing things you don't like and that probably don't as much attention as we give it.  It is the wasted evenings, the foods that weigh our energy down.  It is the weeds that grow in our own personal gardens.

    So when you start balking at clearing your clutter and the residues in your life, pause and wonder.  What spark of creativity is wanting to grow??  Which would be more fun? Looking at an overstuffed bookcase, filled with dusty and forgotten books or opening up your space for a splash of creative play???  Hummm, I'm just saying...

Today I wish you a day of inspired creativity with fewer weeds sucking the life out of your soil and soul!

      Happy clearing,
            Denise
 

The gift of clutter clearing

    If I had to pick one word I hear most often associated with clutter it would be the word "overwhelm".  Too much stuff in your living space will feel like...overwhelm.  That's the bad news.  The good news is what you get when you start letting go of life's weight.  You get to discover, create and uncover your true authentic shining self.

    When you have lots of stuff and that feeling of overwhelm seeps into your life, you probably dream it would all magically disappear.  Poof- end of problem!!!  Yeah!!  Except one little thing...you missed the journey of discovery.

   It is in this journey of letting go and freeing yourself that you find yourself.

 Cleaning out or clutter clearing has two guiding themes....

    1.  Discovering what you love, what you actually use, what gives you energy, what lights you up, what makes your eyes sparkle

    2.  Discovering what depletes you, holds you back, diminishes you, what sits on your shoulders and weighs heavily on your heart.

    As you you clean out, these two themes get asked over and over... How do you really feel about this lamp your great aunt Matilda gave you?  Do you actually use the treadmill sitting unused covered with clothes?  Or does it haunt you and make you feel less than?  Would you rather go outside for a walk in the fresh air instead?  Will you ever read this book covered in dust or would you rather read a new book on a new subject?  Or maybe you would be happier painting or having tea with friends or hiking?   Hum....

     Questions, questions, questions you ask again and again.  As you ask and clean out you get a gift.  That little authentic voice within, you thought was buried, starts getting stronger.  Your instincts and intuition of what you truly love start getting clearer.  You start to breathe deeper and you feel lighter.  You start to feel again.  Your heart opens up.  You get to discover who you are today.  Being lost in the past or fearful of the future become less powerful than this present moment.

    Cleaning out is more than the removal of stuff, it is the discover of your authentic self.

It is a journey of discover that truly is magical.
   Wishing you great ease and joy on your journey,
        Denise