Sometimes we have to "clean house" to clear out clutter and make way for whatever is to come next in our lives. It's not an easy thing to do. And "cleaning house" is not the same as "get over it" attitudes.
The "get over it" attitude says there is something wrong with you, with a piece of you that you fight to keep, and often the pressure to "get over it" is exerted from outside yourself. The "clean house" attitude I'm referring to here says there's nothing wrong with anything about you nor your dreams, passions, hopes-- AND it's time to clear some head space, physical space, spiritual space to determine what is really important. The "clean house" phenomenon comes up of our own volition and FEELS GOOD!
As is my usual way, I'll make this clear by giving you a concrete exercise and then a more sweeping look at a personal experience.
First is a very real Poetry exercise you can try. This is something you can do everyday. Take a few moments in your morning to clear your head. Breathe deeply, let all the muscles in your face relax, sit in a comfortable position, and leave all your thoughts on the floor. You can pick them up off the floor when we are done, but for now, leave the buzz of your thoughts on the floor. Think only of this moment, feel the muscles in your face drop and relax. Now open your favorite book of poetry, or a brand new book of poetry, or a borrowed book of poetry. Open it randomly to any page. Close your eyes and point to a spot on the random page. Open your eyes and read the one line closest to your finger.
Read only that one line.
Read it again.
Read it out loud. Out loud again.
Now sit quietly with that one line.
Close the book. If you have time to write, do so. If not, go on with your day. Let the one line come back to you again and again throughout the day. At the end of the day, make time to write about what that line did to you during the day.
This is a concrete example of cleaning house at the beginning of the day, making way for a new line to influence and affect you, and then writing about the effect
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