Spring clean your daily routine

April 3^rd – spring is here.  In the poem, “Spring is like a perhaps hand,” E.E. Cummings writes,

Spring is like a perhaps hand

(which comes carefully

out of Nowhere)arranging

a window,into which people look(while

people stare

arranging and changing placing

carefully there a strange

thing and a known thing here)and

changing everything carefully

The poem is ambiguous. While it suggests change, Cummings also suggests that come springtime, people simply stare and arrange, flirt and dabble. Is change really change if it is complacent? In the poem, spring is a sudden change, bursting through a window and rearranging our lives. Without it, we would simply stare for the rest of our days. Spring shatters all of our windows and thrusts us into the world, whether we like it or not.

If you have not already, you will soon hear the usual talk of rebirth, rejuvenation and spring-cleaning. You may not feel as rigorous about the change as others do, and this begins to gnaw at you. You want change, you like change, but there is something holding you back. What could it be? The windows are broke. The world is before you. It is time to step through, but you need to fix up and look sharp – a cleaning, let’s say.

First, what is spring-cleaning? Wikipedia defines it as “the practice of thoroughly cleaning a house in the springtime. The practice of spring cleaning is especially prevalent in climates with a cold winter.” During the winter and holiday months, clutter tends to build up. Before long, we feel suffocated. This is when negative feelings begin to arise. Cleaning house, so to speak, is merely cleaning out the awful feelings. While it is nice to free up space in your home, there is much more at work when it comes to a spring-cleaning. Sometimes you have to “spring-clean” those relationships, especially the toxic ones, and change up the game plan a little bit. While it is wise to ditch those “negative” relationships, focus on changing and freshening up your routine.

In the article, “Five Ways to Spring Clean Your Social Life,” Karyn Polewaczyk of boston.com writes, “But just as those self-esteem-eroding notices plastered all over my gym have reminded me, spring—and, soon after, summer—is literally just around the corner. We’re encouraged to shape up and clean up; why not do the same with our social lives?” There are five ways we accomplish this.

• Seek uncharted territory (Get lost, meet new people, be uncomfortable)
• Pick your poison (lose a vice or two)
• Come one, come all (we often separate friends into different groups, mix the groups)
• Brighten up (wear bright colors, a dash of vividness goes a long way)
• DJs save lives (go see live music, theater, performance pieces)

Try one or try them all, but the moment you spring clean your daily routine, it is far easier ditching those toxic relationships. After all, the windows are broke. Step through and change your daily routine.

If you are struggling with spring cleaning on any level, my counseling services are available both over the phone and in person in Lapeer and Charlevoix MI.  Call 231-881-7335 for a free phone consultation.  We can also Skype, if you prefer.  The world is before you, and I’ll help you step into it!

For Karyn’s article, please look here.

–Luan

*Image courtesy of Bobby Mikul