It is no great wonder that so many retired Canadians spend their winters in Florida. The light, flaky snow that provides such a beautiful contribution to Christmas begins to wear thin by February. Vehicles have been plugged in to accommodate freezing temperatures, fires have been stoked and furnaces run while the heating bills build.
Why live in such a temperamental climate?
Because without the cold, there could be no true appreciation of spring. The message of resurrection isn’t just a religious one in climates that experience a real winter. From dismal sealed windows, neighborhoods begin to open their doors, venture outside, chatter and smile. Spirits are lifted, houses cleaned out and bulbs planted. Towns rouse themselves out of their lethargic hibernation and meet new neighbors. Garage sales begin. Cars are washed. Fruit and vegetable stands are erected.
Who better than a home mother to understand the stifling quality of spending a winter confined by her house? And who but she can experience that surge of energy, the transformation, the awakening of a new season? Spring isn’t just a new month for those of us parenting at home. It is a breath of rejuvenation. The emerging greenery and budding trees truly bring a spiritual awareness of the world.
So how can one take full advantage of this sudden sense of purpose and direction? To begin, one can choose to organize and clean their home. A woman who spends her days in the company of her children in her home environment will find that clutter and dust play a surprisingly large role in her mental clarity and emotional stability. Clutter is distracting, irritating and guilt-inducing. Spring, with its warmth and gentle breezes, brings with it the freedom of the outdoors. It allows for the possibility of walks, and sitting in the sun, and moving barefoot in the grass. We want to be outside where there is breathing space, openness and room to move. Many of us not only crave this desire to see wide open spaces, but are psychologically healed by them. A bird cannot fly in a cage.
By cleaning the dust from our drapes and the piles of paper from our fridge tops, we create open, empty spaces. We give our minds the opportunity to find focus. We eliminate the wasted time and increased anxiety of looking for lost items. We cut down on our daily housecleaning by providing places for everything. By organizing our living space, we avoid that pang of irritation when the Tupperware cupboard door bulges with unmatched plastic tops and containers. Being organized is knowing where the paper clips, and the toilet paper and that red sweater are at a moment’s notice. It is about never suffering the aggravation of forgotten and overdue bills. It is the joy of finding both shoes together in the closet, a phone number when you need it, and knowing simply by glancing in your cupboard that you are almost out of peanut butter. Being organized is not simply the sign of a disciplined mind. It is the means by which one can also have a content, fulfilled and creative one.
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