Creating Space

Finding space in the world can be a challenge. As I approach year 56 I have acquired many things that simply need to go. This isn't just the clutter in my house but also the activity in my brain. A while ago I started reading the book, the life-changing magic of tidying up by Marie Kondo. One of the strategies the author advocates is getting like things together. When one has things in different places, it is difficult to get a handle on everything one has. For example, I have way too many skirts! Over the last couple of weeks I've been putting them all in one spot. I actually counted them and sorted them by color. (I am embarrassed at the exact number so I'll not share that!) Now it will be much easier to take each color group and eliminate those that I don't wear or that don't bring me joy. While listening to Public Radio recently, I heard mention of The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson. I haven't read the book but the concept is to pick up an item and determine if anyone will want this after I am gone. If not, then get rid of it. These two strategies are helping me to downsize as I continue toward minimalism. If you really know me, you know that I have such a long way to go!

I also need to create some space in my head. During the Thanksgiving break the only two humans I spoke to were my parents. Other than that, I used the four days to quiet my mind. I have made a commitment to write and I have set some goals. One of the spaces I created in my house was my own reading / writing corner. Good lighting, a comfy chair, my happy light and lots of books & journals at hand provide the perfect setting to fill my head with ideas and empty my brain of words. The only thing I think I could use in this space is a crackling fire. Another way of emptying my head is with earthing. I believe I've written about that before. On Dec. 2nd it was 48 degrees and I was thrilled to be able to walk barefoot outside, feeling the soft green grass under

my feet. As I breathed in and stepped, breathed out and stepped, I made my way around the yard. Feeling my toes on the leaves added another dimension to my walk. While a part of me was sad that it is because of climate change that I can still walk barefoot in December, the other part ​of me was enjoying this opportunity. By the end of this week our daily high temperatures will be in the 20s and the overnight low in teens so I will probably have to wait until spring to once again feel the earth this directly. I think I'll start seedlings indoors this year, if for no other reason than I'll get to interact with soil. The smell is intoxicating and beneficial, even if it does get under my nails. Line drying in December is another perk of warmer temps. I did two loads of laundry and hung them outside before dawn. There is nothing better than to crawl into bed at night and smell the fresh air that lingers on the bedding.

Since the soil was still workable, I added another long row of spinach to my garden. There will be some moments this winter when I will be warmed knowing that those spinach seeds will be waiting to spring into action. Long before I realize how close spring is, they will germinate and wait for just the right time to begin producing an early garden harvest. This past week I had my fourth experience with a kidney stone. I don't wish kidney stones on anyone. I think this one was able to dissolve or pass on its own but I am not completely positive. I got a bit sloppy with my water intake and my diet. I look upon this as a quick jolt that I need to live more in balance. I know some of the triggers, I know some precautionary steps to take. Reducing stress by interacting with nature helps to restore my balance.

In this time of mass media, loud and invasive politics and ever-changing technology, how do you find space for you?