Clutter is not just physical stuff. It’s old ideas, toxic relationships and bad habits. Clutter is anything that doesn’t support your better self. – Eleanor Brownn
Ah Spring. It’s the time when longer days allow us to notice all the stuff that’s piled up around us over the winter. It’s time to clear out the clutter, and to clean and reorganize our homes. I will be the first to admit that I’m not a fan of cleaning. Keeping things tidy and orderly, yes, but cleaning the toilets and scrubbing the kitchen, not so much. Just as the quote suggests it’s not just about cleaning your surroundings, it’s also about clearing out the old mental stuff that keeps us stuck. Somehow doing one effects the other. Deep cleaning the places we inhabit helps us to clear away the inner debris as well, all those inner obstacles that keep us from living the life we want. That’s why picking up after ourselves is so powerful. It’s a concrete way of taking responsibility for our own messes, both inside and outside. When we are accountable for the state of the environment we live in, we empower ourselves to live more of what has real meaning for us. We are involved in creating the kind of life we want to live. This is the kind of cleaning that can completely changes the quality of our lives.
Their (Zen monks) emphasis was on awakening in the midst of everyday affairs and they made it clear that they saw everyday life not only as a way to enlightenment, but as enlightenment itself. — Fritjof Capra
This is the beauty of the everyday things we perpetually do, they are a vehicle to going deeper, allowing us to experience life in its most mystical aspects. The catch, and there is always a catch, is in bringing our full awareness to the job at hand. Somewhere in-between auto pilot and Tasmanian devil mode there exists being fully present in the moment we find ourselves in, whether it’s cooking dinner for our family, scrubbing pots and pans, or watering the garden. It’s not so much what we’re doing as the depth of consciousness we bring to the task at hand. And this takes practice. No need to worry, there are endless amounts of dishes to wash and floors to mop. It’s the internal shift we’re cultivating, when we let the things we have to do, or are stuck doing, guide us to the fullness of the present moment.
Living entirely in the present and giving full attention to everyday affairs, one who has attained satori experiences the wonder and mystery of life in every single act. –Fritjof Capra
There is a mysterious side to life and absolutely everything we do in this life gives us the opportunity to go deeper and align ourselves with something larger. It’s easy to get caught up in thinking all of our actions have to be something grand, that the only experiences that count are the “big” ones. Everything counts, every event is equally important. The only difference is how we approach the day, the task, the moment. And if we can honor cleaning the oven as much as soaking in a hot bath or getting married, then we are onto something. Then all of life becomes important and meaningful, not just a handful of moments in a long life. Living each moment as if it were the most important moment is the real gift.
Letting every ordinary moment of life inspire us will help reveal another piece of the greater mystery that surrounds us everyday. If we can let each moment reveal its secrets, the secrets of our inner self will be revealed as well. Everything we do can teach us more about our self and what we deem important. By taking the time to clean up and reorganize, we pay closer attention to the details and begin to see the subtler truths of life at work. So let’s honor the small everyday chores and moments. What we do on the outside connects to what’s going on inside. Let’s take advantage of all these ordinary moments to strengthen a deeper connection to our self.
Happy cleaning!
kb
