Last week ended with a lot of soul searching and skin shedding. It continued over the weekend. And then last night, something began to shift. Then I listened to a few wonderful programs that really helped me see a new way forward. But I don’t think I would have seen that if I hadn’t done something first: I cleaned house.
As I’ve mentioned, I have not taken a day off in six weeks — and the only days off I took before that were travel days, getting from one event to another. So essentially, I have not taken one day off since early January. Fortunately, that’s because I have a lot of work. And that new work for my Holistic Branding™ clients has been what has allowed me to pay the bills during a time when my other income streams have been cut off. But I have been recognizing that I am mentally burnt out — and that needs to change.
So last night, after working since 5AM, I took a walk and then I decided to clean my little cottage.
I had purchased a bunch of nice-smelling cleaning supplies — and I set to work. As I did, my spirits lifted. And then, suddenly, I began to laugh.
As a little girl, I was a slob. That continued through college. There was one point where you could not see the floor in my dorm room and I had to leap for the bed. But as I got older, I grew to hate clutter. I crowded my mind and I couldn’t work or think in clutter. And that cured the slob issue. But I’ve never enjoyed cleaning. In fact, the last thing I thought to let go of when my life fell apart financially was someone to clean my house.
My close friends always teased me: “You know, even though you grew up with ‘servants’, you don’t have them anymore.” I knew that! I just didn’t think I could clean as well as someone else.
But last night, as I was cleaning my little cottage, I felt such joy. And suddenly I realized that the reason I haven’t enjoyed cleaning is because I’m a perfectionist. If I was going to clean, I wasn’t going to be satisfied until I was scrubbing the grout with a toothbrush. . .But last night, I didn’t have that in me. I was hungry and tired and I just wanted to have the feel of a clean house. So I cleaned only what would make me feel like I was starting the week off fresh. That’s it! I cleaned for about an hour, and as I did, my spirits kept lifting. I felt so much joy!
And then I began to laugh. I realized that not only was I enjoying cleaning — after all, in my limited options for things to “do”, it was something different than work or walking. This wasn’t MY house, so I couldn’t be a perfectionist. And all I wanted was to feel the clean. Which I did. I was having so much fun!
That’s when I realized what the best part was: I was doing something new. Not the cleaning. I’ve cleaned before. But I was finding JOY in cleaning! And that felt amazing.
Then, when I listened to the program later, I realized that that is what we are all being asked to do. To leave behind the old habits that no longer serve us and find new ways forward. NEW
As we near the end of this month, I already know what next month’s practice is going to be: It’s going to be cleaning out the dust bunnies in the nooks and crannies of my life, calling myself out on where I’ve been fudging and cutting corners in my soul, and creating new holistic practices.
But for now, I am going to revel in this heart-centered feeling of NEW! A new me doing an old chore in a new way with a new appreciation, a new approach, new gratitude, new joy.
It’s time for us all to look at what we’re willing to leave behind and how we’re willing to move forward in NEW ways to heal ourselves and our planet.
So, today’s heart-centered practice is Be: NEW. Try it today. Try doing something old in a new way. Or something new. Or something differently. Try BEing New.
It’s super cool. I think you’ll love it. And it will love you. Because all heart-centered practice is LIVING LOVE!
If you’d like to listen to today’s heart-centered practice, here you go: