Cleaning mirrors life. I enjoy cleaning because all the movement allows me to think. Today, I thought about how I am making sense of my new life and routine.
We've been here for three weeks. Living in our new place has been lovely but it needs to be cleaned. I thought about several things as I cleaned today.
Decluttering has lasting perks. The main one is the fact that I didn't move trash across the country. Well, except for the one that literally came inside of the carefully wrapped trash can. Other than that, we were able to unpack and immediately find a place for our things.
Storage spaces are different. The location of where those storage places are is different. I made a few initial decisions about where to store things. I believe in inhabiting a place for a while before deciding where things will go. Linens will go in the hallway storage while towels will be stored in the bathroom.
Both items were stored in the same place in my old house. Different homes have different storage spaces. I physically get to use them differently.
Lately, I've been wondering why I had a hard time saying goodbye to my old routine. I know some of my readers would remind me that I'm only human and change is challenging. I agree with you. I didn't want to stop there. I wanted to probe and find out why I wasn't open to the possibility of having a new routine.
I decided to ask myself "why not" and try to do something different. It honestly felt like trying to stuff towels and linens inside one storage space while two are available. Different homes allow for different arrangements.
I had to say "why not" to working out when the sun is out. I know. I'm the owner of the "beat the sun" club. We even have a Facebook page. The thing is, my priorities changed. My schedule changed because my family needs those early hours. I told myself "why not" try going when the sun is out.
It took some courage. So much so that my coach was wondering why I had a puzzled look on my face when I was about to start doing the WOD. "Your face looks puzzled. What are you looking for?" he asked. I answered, "courage."
Courage is what I found at the end of the workout. It didn't kill me. It made me stronger, flexible and I learned more about myself.
I learned that although change is challenging, I must answer its call. I learned that there is no merit in keeping things the way they were before. I must ride the wave of change and learn to flow with it.
I always believed that transitioning to a new season of life is like rearranging a room. My dining room in the old house had tall ceilings, dark colors and some amazing paintings that made us happy. This house is bright and open. Instead of paintings, we thought the room needed photos that make us smile.
We changed the furniture we keep in that room. We used the same pieces we had before. Some came from other rooms. Other pieces got a makeover. We are happy with the results.
We had family over the other day and we used the room. Not one person wondered why we changed the way we arranged our room. The focus was on the smiles all across the room. Even during serious conversations, the focus was on hearing the heart.
The room served its purpose, no matter how it was arranged.
Now I'm wondering if like that room, my life can be arranged by God in such a way that it serves His purposes.
I'm thinking I need to start by asking myself "why not?"
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