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 Spring Cleaning
People like “stuff”. We tend to hold onto it year after year. We save and stock up on things that we don’t know what to do with anymore. Maybe we keep things because they hold precious memories of days gone by, or they remind us of our parents, grandparents, past loves or childhood. To part with these precious possessions seems out of the question. There is a saying that goes, “You have to get rid of the old to make way for the new.”
This picture, while not glamorous, shows some "stuff" I've recently had to let go of and is the perfect example of the introductory paragraph. The blanket and stuffed animals that I've had since childhood needed to go, mostly because they smelled moldy from being in the basement. And since they haven't been used in almost 26 years, it was time to declutter. I took this picture to remember them by, then cried as I carried them to the garbage can. And while it was hard to throw away memories, there was a freedom in losing the clutter.
If you are feeling stuck or stagnant in your life, try spring-cleaning. Throw out some of that stuff, say goodbye to your past and welcome the new of your happy, healthy future. In a strange way, it brings peace.
Try these three ideas:
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For good mental and physical health, we actually have two “houses” that need to be spring-cleaned: our physical homes and our physical bodies. Just as we accumulate “stuff” in the form of outgrown clothes, magazines, rusty bicycles, tools and random keepsakes, so do our bodies accumulate old food residues and toxins that need to be cleaned out.
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To spring clean your body, give it a break from rich and complicated foods by cleansing for a short period of time. Cleansing means paring down your food to just simple fruits and vegetables, lots of water, soups and perhaps whole grains. Without much energy going toward digestion, more energy is available to the rest of your body and mind. Cleansing can sharpen your concentration and can bring improved immune function and better digestion.
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While you’re cleaning out your body and home, don’t forget to spring-clean your heart. Throw away negative thoughts and habits you’ve been harboring that no longer serve you. Maybe there's somebody you need to forgive, either in person or in your heart. A clean, open heart will allow you to receive all the good that awaits you each and every day. If your heart and mind are cluttered, there is no room for life’s gifts and surprises to enter.
Forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead, while laying aside every encumbrance. (Phil 3:13-14/Hebrews 12:1)
Be sure to check out my website and blog, Be Real, for lots of great information and recipes. New things are added all the time, so don't miss out!
Forward to a Friend
It's such a pleasure to help those closest to us become happier and healthier. Please forward this newsletter to friends, family members or colleagues who might be interested and inspired by it, using the "Forward to a Friend" link below.
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