I'm Sprung

Cleaning can be so therapeutic. If you would have told my 13 year old self that this sentence would one day come from her mouth, she probably would not believe you.

There is something about cleaning your space that brings about a certain kind of calmness and peace. When you take the trash out. When you vacuum the floor. Watching detergent lather on a surface and scrubbing till everything is clean and sparkly.  Sleeping on freshly washed sheets after a nice hot shower ?!! Hello? 

With spring around the corner some of us are getting ready to spring clean. Get rid of things we do not need anymore and replacing them with better things (yea, that shirt that you bought four years ago and have only worn once and very probably won’t ever wear again? It’s time for that shirt to go.) Spring cleaning is not just for the homes we live in. It is for our mental homes too, the home of our relationships, the home of our jobs and so on, the home of everything regarding our lives.

Taking out what does not belong inside is essential to having a clear head, and from experience I can say that a clear head is a great start to gain peace. And who in here does not want peace?

How to spring clean? Well, my scissor happy self started by cutting or better yet shaving down my hair (it has been short but never this short) and with every thick strand that fell on my living room floor I felt liberated. My other half was all in when I asked him to shave it all off around 11pm. I am not going to lie, there was a moment when I freaked out and was close to crying because it wasn’t supposed to be this short but we move right?!

One thing I can say is getting a head start (see what I did there?) on spring cleaning and starting with my hair felt like freedom on a spiritual level, it is hard for me to explain but anyone who has ever chopped off a few strands or a lot of strands might know exactly what I am talking about. This was not about me not wanting to have hair, but me feeling the need to restart my hair journey and what better way to start something than starting from scratch.  A clean canvas. Wash days have become wash minutes and I cannot complain tbh. The first time I washed my hair it felt like water tickling my scalp and all I can say is wow!This is my third or fourth? big chop and I am all here for it. Hair is something we like holding on to even when split ends have taken over and heat damage is real, letting it go means letting go of beauty standards and being yourself. A step that is not easy to take especially when everyone seems to have an opinion on how you should look and what they consider beautiful. But besides my hair, I took some time to write down where else I needed to spring clean, to chase the high of having a clear space in my life, no clutter, not having things occupying my space that had no place being there. Righting my wrongs, and jumping into the new season without heavy baggage and with a pep in my step. Spring has not yet sprung but it is around the corner the weather is not where it could be, but I am ready for it to be.  And soon flowers will begin to sprout, branches will stop looking naked and empty, the air we breathe will feel like life again. Is there anything more beautiful than the smell of spring? I can’t wait to see cherry blossoms so that I’ll know it’s real.

How are you spring cleaning this year?

Love,

Maame