Spring Cleaning

For most of my life, when I feel overwhelmed, my reaction is to clean. I clean out my closets and drawers, and get rid of stuff I don't need, don't wear, don't want, or don't know why I bought it in the first place.

I often take the opportunity to clean up my relationships. I spend more time nurturing relationships I value, and I also take the opportunity to eliminate (or at least marginalize) relationships that no longer nurture me. 

That house-cleaning helps me feel more competent to deal with life's increasing demands.

I've been doing a lot of that in the last couple of years. It's a gradual winnowing process, sifting my stuff and my relationships down to only the things and the people who really matter to me. After a while, things and relationships build up again, requiring more cleaning.

Like dishes in the sink, de-cluttering life is a process that will never be finished. The best I can do is not to allow things to pile up to the point where cleaning is a daunting task.  

Right now, it's spring cleaning time for me, inside and out.