Out of Darkness: A Time to Reassess

 

Out of Darkness: A Time to Reassess

 

I’m not good at spring cleaning. Every year I tell myself to clear out the clutter, do a deep clean, and liberate myself from what bogs me down. I like to think that this exercise helps me breathe better and gives me a sense of elbow room and space to maneuver. Whether in my head or in the literal sense, that idea helps my psyche manage the rest of the year to come.

Does anyone else feel this way?

For many, the act of spring cleaning is cathartic. Not only do we clean our houses and eliminate clutter during this time, but we also take what we don’t need or use and give to those who have less—but what about other months of the year? Like right now? I’m not talking about literal cleaning but cleansing our minds, spirit, and body. To come out of the darkness and into a lighter state of mind. How about reassessing what we are doing with our lives and our purpose.

Are we living our best lives? Are we appreciating the blessings we have? Or are we mired in ‘what could have been’ and not living for what we have today? Are we living our lives without clutter (in the mind) and giving ourselves the space needed to feel alive? Ever try not allowing the weight of the world to bog us down in misery and consternation, but to sit quietly without the noise of TV or radio, just our thoughts? Are we taking the time to reassess the need to just—be?

How about how we treat others?

Are we generous with our time? Are we appreciative of having the close friends we have? How about being proud of our life partners and showing it every day? Not just telling them we love them, they know that, but showing we care about who they are? Letting our neighbors know that we are there for them in time of need or coffee and conversation? Remembering to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to others who are considerate of us? Slowing down to let others pass instead of hurrying to be first in line?

But, how do we find peace within ourselves without meditation and spiritual guru tactics? I don’t know, but I remember a few Facebook posts I encountered lately:

One was of Charlie Brown, who says to Snoopy, “We only live once, Snoopy,” to which Snoopy replies, “Wrong! We only die once. We live every day.” The other is a conversation between a person and an owl (owls being all wise and everything). The person asks, “Why is happiness so elusive?” The owl replies, “Because you look for it in the future instead of the present.”

Both answers give profound wisdom and insight. Simple. Concise. Direct. I love it!

We’ve gone through so much darkness in the last few years. Dark thoughts. Dark hate. Dark outlook. Darkness seemed to surround our very essence. I think it’s time to come out of the darkness and embrace the lightness of less weight on our shoulders, don’t you? Let's embrace the sunshine in our lives and curse the darkness, which doesn’t deserve much importance.

To combat darkness, light is a great disinfectant. Time to reassess.

~DaMarie

Photo Courtesy of Cherry Laithang