Spring Cleaning
By Julia A. Keirns
(This article was published at ChildrensMall.com in April, 2001)
Trees blooming
Rain falling down
Grass is green
No longer brown
The smell of spring is all around.
Flowers pop up
Through the ground
Listen close to all the sounds
Yes, spring is all around.
Spring approaches. Actually it is already here. With it comes all the wonders of new life and new beginnings. Trees blossom. Flowers bloom. Birds return from the south. And us? We begin a tradition that is so commonly known as “spring cleaning.”
In my house there are numerous drawers and closets that need to be emptied and reorganized. I will sweep cobwebs and clean windows. I will empty out kitchen cupboards and broom out dead little critters from dark corners. My husband will clean out the shed and garage, and together we’ve even decided that this is the year to overhaul the attic.
In the process of doing all this work, we will no doubt gather up tons of stuff we no longer need. Stuff we don’t want, or don’t like, trashy stuff that is no longer of any use, and probably a lot of stuff we never should have even had in the first place – all will be tossed into a “get rid of” pile. Hopefully though, in the process of getting rid of all this stuff, we don’t just make so much room that we decide to accumulate ore new stuff again. With any luck at all, it will stay clean and organized for a time.
I don’t know what you do with all your old stuff, but we like to just give it away. I like to give things to people who have a need for them. I don’t do garage sales. I like to shop at garage sales, but I don’t like to have them. I give things away quite easily. I try to do this on a regular basis. I figure if it no longer serves a useful purpose for me, someone else might as well get some good out of it. I can’t take it with me when I die. It is all just rubbish anyway in light of eternity, right? Sometimes I wonder if I don’t accumulate stuff just for the fun of giving it away someday.
I wish I could do this so easily with all the stuff in my life. My life is packed tight with stuff. Isn’t yours? Some of it I have carried around for a long time. Why do I keep holding on to it? Who knows, but this year is going to be different. This year, I feel an overwhelming need to just unload some old, useless, unwanted stuff out of my life. It is time to give it up and lighten my load.
Life continues to give us new baggage, new stuff. We are a little bit like a drawer or a closet, though. We can only hold so much until something has to go. What is there in your life that needs to go? Why not do a little spring cleaning with me this year? Let’s get back into those dark corners, dust out some cobwebs, and get rid of some nasty little critters. It is time to let go and move on.
Not only do our houses need to be cleaned on a regular basis, so do our hearts and our lives. Give it up. Let it go. Get rid of some things and do some extra spring cleaning this year.