Spring is here and for me, it’s the happiest time of year. I love the idea of renewal, new birth and even resurrection. I love the blooms and warmer sunshine. My solar lights are holding more power in my garden and soon, they’ll be colour. Plus April is my birthday month. And there’s a news report that has made me very happy. I’ll let you guess what it is.

My intention for April is Life Spring Cleaning. I’m not going to be cleaning my house from top to bottom but my life. I am cleaning the core beliefs that have run my life and I am also going to pack up belongings in my childhood home as my dad is close to the end and my mum is very sick. This is serious clearing and I am feeling grateful for what I am about to lose. 

Of course there is sadness but I have been trying to regulate my emotions. They have often overwhelmed me and possessed me, leading me to decisions that were not always in my best interest. Now I am learning to feel them and let go of them so I can get on with responsible action. You’d think this would be hard after lifelong patterns but it actually feels good and liberating. No regret though; just radical acceptance of who I was, who I am and who I will be. I just need to keep clearing. I am also going to try to clear my laptop, tablet and phone: emails, photos, tabs, apps and downloads. 

Why is there so much stuff we don’t need in every area of our lives? It’s time to curate our lives and decide what it is we really need or want. Spring is a season so I will allow the time it takes. It’s worth it. 

Curating is about removing things but also adding what is essential. Three things are fundamental to our happiness and mental health: sources of pleasure, achievement and closeness. Pleasure is whatever makes you happy. Achievement is anything you complete and it doesn’t have to be a big thing. Closeness can be any kind of connection (partner, family, friends, community or nature).

Anything out of these three zones might be worth letting go of. The idea is to make space and time for the three essentials and to use them as North stars to decluttering and curate our lives. They also need to be scheduled.

What source of pleasure, achievement and closeness are you going to schedule? What are you going to let go (with much gratitude)?

Valerie 

http://valeriemarsh.com