It's that time of year - sunlight streams through your windows and exposes the dust, scratches, stains and dirt that the winter hid from view. With the spring sunshine comes a brighter outlook on life as well. It brings a whole new perspective and attitude for me, personally. I always feel like spring offers me a next chance, a redo, and brings hope for a brighter, more fulfilled outlook not just on the inside of my house but also on the inside of my soul.
We recently had a snow day - I know that seems ridiculous considering tomorrow is forecasted to be 70 degrees. I used the day to begin my spring cleaning, starting with my closet. The closet is symbolic for me. It's a good time to look at what you are wearing and decide if the clothes you put on are a true representation of the image you want to portray. I am shocked every year when I do this at just how wrong my wardrobe is for my "image". Over this past year I have tried very hard to adjust this by adding some color to my otherwise black, gray and brown closet. I've also tried a softer, more feminine look this year with less form-fitting and a bit more whimsey to the outfits. Even still when I examined the contents of my closet I had to admit that I still had a lot of "baggage" in there - two large trash bags full in fact. I have fluctuated my weight over the past several years from size 10 to size 18, eeh gads! So the first thing I did was get rid of everything over size 14 because I WILL NOT go back there, ever. I packed the big-girl jeans, 2XL tunics and dresses in the bags and hauled them off to Good Will. That felt really great and definitely made my closet look "thinner. Next I went through my shoe collection. I for one hate to get rid of shoes so for the past several moves I've carried shoes with me that I haven't (and shouldn't) wear since the early 80's. Another trash bag later and my shoe rack was a lot less like a hot-tub time machine.
It took 2.5 hours but when all was said and done my closet was cleaner, there was more room for the clothes and my "image" costumes were much more refined and defined. This got me thinking...how long would it take to give my soul a makeover, a refresh? Wouldn't it be nice if you could literally sort through all of the old things that have accumulated in your soul that are outdated or that don't "fit" you anymore and toss them in the trash or pass them on to others who may be able to use them. So I made a list, I know. Predictable. But that's what I do so I made a list of the "crap" that is cluttering up my soul with action items of what to do with it all. Here's my list. I encourage you to do the same. After all, it's spring and it's time for some spring cleaning!
Debbie's Baggage
1. Insecurities about my appearance - got to get rid of these feelings or I'll never be able to love myself therefore allowing me to love someone else
2. Hate or Dislike of those who have caused me pain - bad karma is a bitch so it has to be thrown away leaving warmth and positive energy in it's place
3. If you want to be happy, toss away the things that make you sad - I read that on a bumper sticker somewhere but it works for this context
4. Unrealistic goals need to be put to rest - for me, that means I can toss away my size 5 clothes from the 70's...my body is never going to look like it did back then...and I can probably stop planning my presidential campaign. If Hilary Clinton couldn't win chances are neither can I
5. Stop feeling like you have to please everyone - some people don't want to be pleased, and it just isn't my job to make everyone else happy. I am going to focus on just making ME happy and see what happens.
I could go on and on, but five is a good number and experts say we rarely ever remember more than five things so this is my start. My closet looks better, less cluttered and it's easier to find my clothes that I really do want to wear and that fit me. My soul also feels lighter and fresher. Spring cleaning phase one is a success!
Now for a fresh recipe to get you lighter on your feet for spring - my favorite new salad. Pair this with a nice sparkling water with a touch of grapefruit juice and you've got yourself a great spring fling!
Beet and Feta Salad
8 oz of mixed spring salad
6 grape tomatoes
1/4 cup of feta spit two ways
1/4 cup of red pepper
1/4 cup of yellow pepper
1/8 cup of fresh cilantro
4 whole fresh or Trader Joe's beets sliced
Balsamic olive oil dressing
This makes two salads so split everything into two servings and put each into a salad bowl. Add dressing and salt and pepper to taste. You can serve this with 6 oz of grilled tuna or salmon on top for a full meal or by itself for a side salad.
It took 2.5 hours but when all was said and done my closet was cleaner, there was more room for the clothes and my "image" costumes were much more refined and defined. This got me thinking...how long would it take to give my soul a makeover, a refresh? Wouldn't it be nice if you could literally sort through all of the old things that have accumulated in your soul that are outdated or that don't "fit" you anymore and toss them in the trash or pass them on to others who may be able to use them. So I made a list, I know. Predictable. But that's what I do so I made a list of the "crap" that is cluttering up my soul with action items of what to do with it all. Here's my list. I encourage you to do the same. After all, it's spring and it's time for some spring cleaning!
Debbie's Baggage
1. Insecurities about my appearance - got to get rid of these feelings or I'll never be able to love myself therefore allowing me to love someone else
2. Hate or Dislike of those who have caused me pain - bad karma is a bitch so it has to be thrown away leaving warmth and positive energy in it's place
3. If you want to be happy, toss away the things that make you sad - I read that on a bumper sticker somewhere but it works for this context
4. Unrealistic goals need to be put to rest - for me, that means I can toss away my size 5 clothes from the 70's...my body is never going to look like it did back then...and I can probably stop planning my presidential campaign. If Hilary Clinton couldn't win chances are neither can I
5. Stop feeling like you have to please everyone - some people don't want to be pleased, and it just isn't my job to make everyone else happy. I am going to focus on just making ME happy and see what happens.
I could go on and on, but five is a good number and experts say we rarely ever remember more than five things so this is my start. My closet looks better, less cluttered and it's easier to find my clothes that I really do want to wear and that fit me. My soul also feels lighter and fresher. Spring cleaning phase one is a success!
Now for a fresh recipe to get you lighter on your feet for spring - my favorite new salad. Pair this with a nice sparkling water with a touch of grapefruit juice and you've got yourself a great spring fling!
8 oz of mixed spring salad
6 grape tomatoes
1/4 cup of feta spit two ways
1/4 cup of red pepper
1/4 cup of yellow pepper
1/8 cup of fresh cilantro
4 whole fresh or Trader Joe's beets sliced
Balsamic olive oil dressing
This makes two salads so split everything into two servings and put each into a salad bowl. Add dressing and salt and pepper to taste. You can serve this with 6 oz of grilled tuna or salmon on top for a full meal or by itself for a side salad.
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