CFN – Wow what a heavenly last few days this has been. The sun has been shining; the temperatures have been very comfortable, inviting all to participate in the simplicity of the outdoors. Although I have been indoors working on a number of projects the sun spilling into the indoors through the windows has demanded by attention to just bask in the warmth, and delight in the activity taking place just outside my window. The unmistakable call of the chick-a-dees, crows and blue jays, the squeak of the goldfinches, the flitting about of the woodpeckers and sparrows amongst the scrambling of the red and black squirrels has been delightful all week-end long. One special visitor graced our yard this week-end…a bright red cardinal. Our landscapes are generally pretty monotoned this time of year so one can’t help but be drawn to such a bright colourful character when he decides to drop in for an unexpected visit.
One of things on my “do list” weekend was to clean up an area in my home which seems to be the catch all place for whatever seems to be in my hands at the moment. I keep going by this place and keep thinking that I need to make some time to clean this up. This area is a space in our home that I go by everyday, a place that I have to look at a few times a day each and every day that I spend in our home. Whether I consciously realize it or not it makes me feel less than relaxed and today was the day to look after this mess. There were photographs, papers, elastic bands, a jar of hand cream, an enlarger…yes an enlarger which had sat in that same place for well over 365 days folks. So I decided to take this small area take a before photograph and get down to work.
So you might be wondering, “What does this have to do with Earth Matters”? The motivation for me to continue my work with this weekly column and the Earth Matters facebook page is to inform and encourage readers to be friends, stewards of our living earth which will undoubtedly enrich our own lives. If I wish to help with some of these community matters, a good starting point is my very own messes.
So I started with 4 piles of items, “keep”, “recycle”, and “garbage” or “give away”. Most of the items were relegated to the paper recycle bin, some were put away, a handful of photographs were for give away and a few items were put in the garbage (small plastic bags which I wish we recycled here in our township) and the enlarger was given a new storage area in the basement for future consideration.
So what are the lessons in all this? Firstly, the space is now clean and gives me more space to breathe and relax. Now that this personal space has been decluttered and cleaned I feel a sense of freedom and energy to move on to projects outside of my personal space. Looking after each important area of our lives such as family, community and ourselves gives us fuel necessary for “peace of mind”, for our own ultimate happiness.
On a completely different note, I know there are many things happening in the world that concern people, which they are not happy about. Earth Matters would like to encourage people to respectfully converse with all people for or against your position. Telling someone to stick their head where the sun doesn’t shine or resorting to name calling accomplishes NOTHING! This only shuts the door on any possible conversation. It has been noted that people are quick to talk about what they dislike or don’t want without offering solutions or mentioning what they would like to see. Kindly consider the immense benefits of stating your position in the positive such as: instead of “People against Pipeline ABC”, how about “People for Alternative Sustainable Energy”. I believe one encourages a conversation and states your position in a positive manner. Just a thought folks. Take what you like and leave the rest.
Your commentary is encouraged and always welcome below or to earthmatters@conrwallfreenews.com
Another inspirational article, thank you Jacqueline.
@Stan…thank-you!