As Mary Rose discovers, cleaning and decluttering is a physical, emotional and spiritual practice.
To me, cleaning is chi flow.
The dirt that comes off walls, floors, and mirrors represents to me my power to see what I see, clearly and without prejudice. If what I see does not resonate with me, I can remove either it, or in extreme cases, myself from the situation.
The dust inhaled by my vacuum represents the fact that sometimes, the thing that sucks the most is often the most useful tool. The icky smells, soon replaced by soothing, calming lavenders, oranges, and even the smell of nothingness remind me that I have the ability to change anything in a positive way for everyone.
A huge part of my job requires that I do the same kind of work on the vessel through which all my work gets done: My body. I must perform inner cleansings regularly. I do this by working out. While sweating and breathing, I meditate deeply on increasing chi flow, replenishing internal jing or life force, releasing what I don’t need, and making my cardiovascular system feel what it’s like to be more powerful than it was yesterday.
Boxing is one of my greatest cleaning tools. It reminds me that I am in control of my movements and actions. I can choose how to use my time and how to design my timing. The connection between myself and choice is obvious and powerful. When in the deep clean sweet science, I run circles around linear thinking until I stop thinking altogether.
Then there’s the mother load. The reason I do my work. The reason I take it all so seriously. For my son, I clear a path to clarity, like a sniper with a mark in her cross hairs, so that he can see that with hard work, a sense of humour, dedication and focus, anything is possible. And like a lot of people, I learned that what I’ve been doing all along is exactly what I was looking for all along.
To be wholly uncluttered and present is to exist authentically in one’s field. What follows is a clear mind, a sound body and a free spirit.
Photo Credit
“Quickie the Broom” wysz @ Flickr.com. Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved.
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