So Christmas just passed, and often before that there will be some cleaning and then ushering in the festivities. Where I live, we also celebrate the New Year (ol’ classic 1 of Jan) and the Chinese New Year, which typically happens in January or February (the first day of the Lunar Calendar Year varies with each Gregorian calendar year). A simpler way to look at it is that Chinese New Year is the start of spring, as per ancient Chinese traditions come by.

So by my count, each year, I clear out the old and usher in the new three times. The biggest spring cleaning operation happens closer to Chinese New Year but you can see where I get confused.

Nonetheless I feel good with the opportunity to clear out the old, broken, unusable…even if it comes in three spurts. (Decluttering and space is a particular topic I’ve been studying by myself for years and I can write a whole blog on it…. Hmm maybe I will..watch this space).

This year I’m sitting at my table exhausted, it’s late I want to sleep I don’t think I can effectively clear out the house good enough for the magazine or visitors, of which I don’t usually have either. Griping about what else I need to do, how I need to outdo last year and the year before. Somewhat a mini panic attack, without the medical conditions of it.

But this year I am choosing fun, wholeheartedness and play (themes of my year 2014), so how can I laugh at this?

Out with the old…
For starters, it’s about throwing my images of what should the house look like pre-CNY, throwing out images of me not doing enough or that I had to fix a certain amount of “work done” on the house that was acceptable.

In with the new!
And then it means welcoming the new:
1) Habits about removing the rules of what should be and opening the possibilities of what could be;
2) Accepting that I have done a lot and in that present moment, is enough for what is required that present moment; and
3) Effort and action is just important as achievement

And that, is a pretty good spring clean in its own right.