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Written by Joan Eison
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Picture a dresser about four feet high with three rows of
drawers. The drawers are in pairs, the first two are shallower
than the second two. You open one of the top drawers and look
inside. Rolling around in a plastic basket are numerous tubes of
lipstick and you begin to flip them upside down to read the
labels. Where do they get these names? Raging red, mellow
mauve, chocolate passion. You chuckle and wonder if you would
ever wear any of them again. Beside the basket of lipsticks you
find assorted hair clips, an old wallet and an expired credit
card. Why not clean this drawer out? It’s a much better
location for socks than old lipstick. This could be a spring cleaning
project.
As the weather warms and the days lengthen, we are compelled to open
windows, shut off the heat and respond to cleaning urges. Our
spring rituals range from flipping mattresses to rug beating to floor
scrubbing. And, occasionally we purge over-stuffed closets and
drawers. This spring why not venture beyond cabinets and floors
to an even more important space--your mind! Old thoughts can be
as limiting as out-dated make-up and the bargain blouse you bought that
didn’t match anything.
Look back at the lipsticks in the drawer. What thoughts do the
colors bring to mind? Have you ever thought of yourself as raging, like
the raging red lipstick? Or, are you more the slow boil type? Is
there a co-worker, or boss, or loved one that makes the hairs on the
back of your neck stand up? Do you picture them in a haze of
displeasure and every time you’re with them, your forehead pulses and
your jaw clenches? Now, those are definitely some feelings to
clean out! Grab those feelings and toss them out like a ragged
throw rug. Oh, it feels wonderful to shake that out of your
space! A word of caution here, don’t go back and pound on the old
problem between you and that person. This is a new season. The
weight of those ill feelings was harmful and you deserve to be free of
it. So, just let it go and you’ll grow.
Pick up the tube of "mellow mauve." Have you been reclining in a
faded funk, not glad; but not motivated to move forward? In your
secret self, have you really wanted to change jobs, meet different
people, study something new, or start a new hobby? It just takes
one small step to get started. Sweep the hesitation out of your
mind. Start checking the Sunday newspaper for events and
happenings. Don’t be a "mouse potato," click on to the websites
of radio/TV stations, libraries, adult education, or college community
education programs. It may feel a little awkward at first; but, trust
that "sunny pink" suits you much better than "mellow mauve" ever did.
Chocolate passion. As strange as it may seem, there are people
who do not like chocolate, and it may even make them ill. Are
there people or things in your life that make you ill? Are you
enduring activities or responsibilities that are about as much fun as
cleaning up an over-flowing toilet? If you want to spring clean
your mind, it’s imperative that you either get rid of the things that
weight you down, or change your feelings about them. It may not
be feasible to instantly eliminate all of the things in your life that
don’t bring you joy; but, you can reduce your exposure to them.
Are you serving on a committee that feels like a burden? Then,
plan to resign. Do you go to lunch five days a week with someone
who is very negative? Reduce it to once a week. Gradually
lighten your load and support your own decision by focusing on the goal
of restoring enthusiasm to your life. Become the new and improved
you! There is a lot of similarity between cleaning out dresser
drawers and old thoughts. The once congested space appears larger and
more useful when unused items have been eliminated. And, your
outlook will be lighter and brighter having transformed those old,
unhappy thoughts. So, sweep away, shake away and send those dust
bunnies packing. You’ve got a mind to clean!
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