Spring has been around the corner for a while now where we live in British Columbia, Canada. Spending my childhood and early adult years in a tropical climate made me pay little attention to the seasons – we only have two, rainy or dry. What I like in North America are the four lovely seasons – winter, spring, summer and fall.

Of all four, I love spring.  For me it is an unfolding of miracles in the making.  One can tell when the season is here, aside from experiencing more rain, rainbows are a usual sight. Everything is coming back to life.

Trees and shrubs that look dead during the winter are becoming green again.  The ground which was covered with snow are now surrounded with plants here and there.  Flowers start blooming.  And oh I love the gorgeous cherry blossoms that add a comforting fragrance to the air.  Seeds and bulbs that have been hibernating on the ground are now showing up. Birds are mating and singing in what sounds like a choral group.  Rivers and streams are swollen after the melting of the snow. Ponds are coming alive with ducklings and fishes having a fiesta for the good weather. What an awesome cycle of nature!

For the gardeners it’s time to get dirty again, a time to till the soil, plan the seeds, and unweed.  I visited a garden center and they recommended pansies and primrose – wonderful bright flowers that are perfect for the season. These are now on the ground showing off their blooms.

Spring Cleaning for your HEART

Seasons just like in life, is ever changing. Sometimes the wheel of life will take us to the bottom, to the top, to the ups and downs. The trials and even the worst of events and circumstances beat us like the harsh winter. But spring reminds us that in spite of the biting cold, the sun is still shining behind the clouds.

To allow your heart to experience the real beauty of spring, here are some simple things we all can do.

1. Take time to rest, stop the running around.
2. Get a good walk in the park and yes, smell the flowers.
3. Appreciate the grandeur of nature, it allows our soul to connect with the Earth.
4. Breathe the air, spread your arms.
5. Let go of some hurts or unforgiveness you may have in your heart.
6. Look up in the sky and fill your heart with gratitude.
7. Pick a dream that has been hibernating and start thinking of the actions you will take to fulfill it.

At the start of spring, I went for a spring clean up internally by attending Vippassana Meditation in Onalaska, Washington, an awesome experience that I highly recommend to everyone.

Always keep in mind that everything is temporary, everything shall pass. With despair, there is hope. With fear, there is love. Spring for our hearts is to constantly embrace and accept the circles of life.

Spring Cleaning for Your HOME

Coming back home, I realized I also need to do a lot to de-clutter my physical environment.  I started off at the stock room basement where I discovered many clothes, toys, and stuff that my daughters have outgrown. I sorted them all out, placed in a shipping box, and off it went to the Philippines.

When I got to my office, my energy quickly depleted at the sight of the pile of books, magazines and materials I have. I hold on to things for reasons of I might need them for “future reference.”  Do you feel the same as I do?

Clearing the Clutter

It is said that there are numerous ways of de-cluttering. In one of the seminars I attended “Living from Truth”, clutter is defined as a “condition of mess” created by an accumulation of unwanted and unneeded things and it is a barrier both physically and mentally.  Clutter creates a state of “never being on top of things”. It lowers our energy, create feelings of guilt, embarrassment and even lowers our self-esteem. It is best to consider clearing clutter as a growth opportunity and is also a transformation. We gain more energy, we feel calmer, clearer and happier.

Imagine how much time we can focus on our goals and what really matters when we create open space.

Honestly, I’m not big on organization. Since it’s spring, I’m taking this opportunity to do my own homework of de-cluttering. I will focus on de-cluttering slowly and surely. Instead of long list of goals, I kept mine simple. I will organize my CD’s, albums, cassettes, videos, and dispose the ones that no longer serve me.

Here are few tips from Living from Truth Seminar on How to Clear Clutter:

1. Old mail, magazines, newspapers, boxes: give away or recycle what you don’t need.
2. Books: Sell or give away the ones you never use.  (I have resistance for this one for I plan to have “Tale of Juliet” Library in the future.  So am keeping all “my” books.)
3. Past passions: collections, creations hobby materials. Decide what represents you NOW and give or throw away the rest.
4. Gifts: Dispose them in some way that honors the relationship you have with the person who gave them. Discriminate between the person and the gift.
5. Financial paperwork: make a project out of bringing it up to date. Then develop systems for preventing the renewal of paper clutter.
6. Things you don’t really like or have no real use for: give them away, sell them or throw them out.

Let us create space in our life and do a spring clean up for our hearts, body and mind. How about you pass this on to inspire others? Better yet, join the conversation by sharing your own tips and thoughts on this blog.

May all of you be inspired with spring!