Cindy on March 20th, 2010
It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want — oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain
It’s officially spring today, but our weather reporters in southeast Michigan tell us we’re in for snow showers this weekend. Regardless, we’ve enjoyed sunshine and unseasonably warm temps all week. Our tulips are already pushing their leaves through the soil, and the neighborhood kids got a chance to dust off their roller blades.
And just in time, the April issue of Body and Soul arrived on the stands with several fresh articles on adopting a healthier diet, managing stress, and celebrating Earth Day. But what really sold me was an especially good piece by Amy Maclin on the deeper meaning of housecleaning. I enjoyed the issue so much, in fact, that I started a subscription.
Being an optimist, I’m also starting to plot my herb garden. But since I can’t start digging outside yet, I’m methodically purging the useless stuff I’ve accumulated in previous seasons — one drawer, one room, at a time. My new “Somewhere in the Middle” column in Michigan Women’s Forum offers a few tips for spring-cleaning your own closets and dumping shabby attitudes. Click here to read it. Here’s to fresh starts and a happy spring! — CL
–”Spring” collage detail by Cindy La Ferle–
Cindy on May 2nd, 2009
“May and June. Soft syllables, gentle names for the two best months in the garden year….The discussion of philosophy is over; it is time for work to begin.” — Peter Loewer
It’s the first weekend in May — and the climate is ripe for “de-wintering” my closets. I love the feeling I get when I unload things I no longer need or use. Likewise, preparing my garden for summer plants is a soulful affirmation of my belief in fresh starts and second chances. Outdoor clean-up, especially, is the perfect warm-up exercise for unloading the heavier emotional baggage â old grudges, toxic relationships, and foolish expectations â that I’ve been hoarding far too long. How are you celebrating the season, and what are you doing to renew your outlook? — CL
– Backyard garden photo by Cindy La Ferle–
Cindy on March 26th, 2009
“The art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” — Havelock Ellis
It’s time for some serious spring cleaning. The costumes and uniforms of my past are taking up way too much space in my closet and in my psyche. But since I’m a born collector, I struggle when it comes time to release the threads and fabric of my past. Do you find it hard to let go of things you no longer use or wear? If so, you might want to check out this week’s Midpoint column in The Oakland Press.
Cindy on March 25th, 2008
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” — Judy Garland
You wouldn’t know it to look outside my office windows, but the calendar says it’s spring. Today I felt the primal urge to dump every wool sweater I own into a cedar trunk — though I should know better. Here in Michigan, winter ain’t over till the fat lady sings (or screams because her bathing suit won’t fit).
Regardless, spring is synonymous with pitching and purging. In a ritualistic effort to “cleanse” her entire house, a friend of mine recently unloaded 38 garbage bags crammed with stuff she no longer needs. She joked that emptying her closets and junk drawers “was practically a spiritual experience.” After sorting out the externals of her messy life, she added, she felt lighter and ready to tackle some deeper personal issues. I know exactly what she means.
This afternoon, I sorted through my bedroom closet, which, up until now, served as sort of a textile museum chronicling my fashion history. After all these years of hoarding, I’m finally ready to unload my old prom dresses, hippie clothes, business suits, and other vintage “treasures.” I don’t wear any of this stuff — even on Halloween — and have no desire to wear it ever again, unless I’m invited to audition for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
I haven’t stopped enjoying clothes. But lately I tend to prefer soft, solid colors over bright prints. (I’m tired of anything retro — really, really tired of it!) My style is simpler, less contrived, than it was ten or twenty years ago. Now that I’m past 50, I’m finally ready to dress like the grown-up I aspire to be. In other words, the costumes and uniforms of my past just don’t work anymore. They take up way too much room in my closet and my psyche. I can’t begin to express how liberating it feels to dump all this stuff into garbage bags for charity.
Cheryl Richardson agrees. A frequent guest on “Oprah,” Richardson is author of several popular self-help titles, including Take Time for Your Life and Life Makeovers (Broadway Books). In a previous interview, I asked her to share some thoughts on getting organized for a new season.
“Hanging onto old clothes can have hidden costs,” Richardson advised. “Keeping clothes that are too small may seem like motivation for losing weight, but too often they turn out to be a subtle form of punishment, another way of beating ourselves up.” Furthermore, she adds, saving outdated, sentimental items also keeps our precious energy stuck in the past instead of fully available to use right now. As soon as you make room for items that fit well and look fresh, she adds, you’re on the way to refining your style and polishing your self-image. When I cleared my closet this afternoon, I considered these questions from Richardson’s checklist:
-Do these clothes represent who I am at this time in my life?
-Do they make me feel good about myself?
-Do they fit well?
-Am I holding onto clothes that have sentimental value, even though I never wear them? (It’s fine to store family heirlooms, of course, but try to pare down to a few special items.)
Before I toss any item of clothing in a discard pile, I also ask myself if it might work as a Halloween costume (in which case, it goes up to the attic), or be appreciated by a friend who’d find a way to make it new again. Anything outside those categories is donated to charity. As Richardson says, it’s much easier to part with clothes when you know that someone else will use and enjoy them.
As my friend and I recently discovered, weeding out a closet is more than a simple act of clearing space for new clothes and shoes. It’s an affirmation of our belief in fresh starts and second chances. And it’s the perfect warm-up exercise for unloading the heavier emotional baggage — old grudges, toxic relationships, and foolish expectations — that we’ve been hoarding far too long. Here’s to spring! – Cindy La Ferle
It’s officially spring today, but our weather reporters in southeast Michigan tell us we’re in for snow showers this weekend. Regardless, we’ve enjoyed sunshine and unseasonably warm temps all week. Our tulips are already pushing their leaves through the soil, and the neighborhood kids got a chance to dust off their roller blades.
