clearing the clutter

Sunday Purrs: declutter your life before the New Year

Sunday Purrs| 19 Comments

cat_on_desk

The week between Christmas and New Year can be a good time to clear the clutter from your life – and that includes both physical and mental clutter.

The physical surroundings we live in every day in our homes, offices and cars have a strong impact on us. Cluttered environments drain your energy. Just think about the last time you organized a drawer or cleaned your car – do you remember how accomplished you felt, and how you were able to approach the rest of your day from a much lighter perspective? That’s because you released stagnant, cluttered energy.

Allegra, Ruby and I have been working on decluttering for the past few days. Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: spring cleaning

Sunday Purrs| 14 Comments

tortoiseshell_cat_forget_me_nots

Spring is a time of new beginning. Nature renews itself, at first slowly, like those first spring flowers peeking out from underneath the dull winter grass, and eventually bursting into full bloom as the days become longer and warmer.

Spring can also be a time for mental and spiritual renewal, and for this, we can take our clues from nature. It’s time to emerge from the darkness of winter, time to open windows and doors to let the spring breezes in, both physically and in a larger sense.

For many people, this is also traditionally a time for spring cleaning – there is something very satisfying about airing out rooms that were closed up for most of the winter months, clearing cobwebs out of forgotten corners, and getting the dust bunnies out from under the bed. Clearing the clutter and getting organized for the new season on a physical level can also help clear your mental and psychic energy. Cluttered environments drain our energy. Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: purging can make you purr

Sunday Purrs| 11 Comments

 cat-on-desk

No, not that kind of purging! What I’m talking about is purging your space of things that no longer serve you. While the picture above shows my desk as cluttered as it ever gets (and no, I do not consider Ruby part of the clutter!), I’m not as good with other spaces in my home, especially the inside of closets. And just because you can close the door on it doesn’t mean it’s not clutter.

I recently went through a couple of weeks of clearing out clutter – everything from books that I know I won’t ever read again to trinkets that no longer have sentimental value and are just gathering dust. In the process, I realized how good it felt to purge. Why, if I was a cat, I just might have been purring.

I was talking to a friend about this, and she pointed out to me that the word “purging” and the word “purr” share the same root. Continue Reading