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Color My World

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spring-flowers

The original intention for this blog was to encourage you to wear more color. The drab days of winter are over and with the arrival of spring, I thought it’s about time we began wearing greens and yellows and reds and blues…just to liven things up a bit. But while doing a few Google searches, I found that my little title “Color My World” brought some interesting websites to my attention.

There were websites about harp music, humanitarian efforts, and video games. I found a set of 13 individual stamps, a multi-stone engagement ring and heat transfer papers – all entitled “Color My World.” But a couple of entries stood out…namely:

“Colour My World” is the name of a song by the 1970s pop group “Chicago.” For someone who grew up in the 70s, it was a little flashback to my high school days. And the lyrics, though catchy, were not exactly cerebral.

“As time goes on, I realize just what you mean to me. And now, now that you’re near, promise your love that I’ve waited to share…and dreams of our moments together. Color my world with hope of loving you.” 

If you’re looking for depth in lyrics, may want to pass on that one.

color_wheel

Number two – color wheels are pretty. Found a lot of images of color wheels. My graphic design sister tried to tell me how one worked once…I was hopeless. That’s why my walls are plain and I wear a lot of black. But I did find a site that talked about the meaning of different colors. It was fascinating. It made me want to wear red (the color of power, strength and passion) except the St. Louis Cardinals are red and I’m a Cubs fan so I’ll go with Cubbie blue (loyalty, depth, stability and wisdom).

crayons  Lastly – I found a wonderful little website telling about a project to provide art supplies and opportunities to youth in the United States and around the world. The Color My World Project collects discarded crayons from restaurants and donates them to schools, childcare centers, orphanages, etc. And not only do they donate the crayons, the distribution team stays and colors with the kids, teaching about recycling and reducing waste.

So add a little color to your life today. Wear some green on Thursday, and not just for St. Paddy’s Day – green also means growth, harmony and freshness. Happy Spring!

De-Nesting the Empty Nest

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Hoarder-clip-art

Now that all the kids are gone, it’s seems like a good time to let go of some stuff. We moved our oldest to his own apartment on Saturday and I wasn’t back home 20 minutes before I had re-arranged the living room and brought a single bed up to his former bedroom. It’s not that I was anxious to see him go (see Saturday’s blog post), but I couldn’t just leave the outline of his double bed in the carpet. Since he’d packed up all his stuff, it was inspiring me to pack up and get rid of a little of my stuff…years’ worth, actually.

My mom passed away 3 years ago and though she suffered a stroke 2 1/2 years prior, she wouldn’t let us declutter her house. She often told me, “Leave my stuff alone. You can do that when I’m gone.” Well – we’re still dealing with her houseful of stuff – mostly items she bought or collected long after her 5 kids were grown and gone. I’ve had to deal with some major resentment issues over her leaving this monumental task to us (mostly my sister, my hero). Sometimes I just want a large box of matches – it would save so much time and energy.

The lesson I’ve learned is GET RID OF YOUR OWN JUNK! Yes – I was shouting. Use every day to get something out of your house…either thrown away, given away or sold…but gone! gone! gone!

It doesn’t have to be a large, unwieldy project. Go through one bag or box each day ~ a shelf in a closet ~ your medicine cabinet ~ your kitchen junk drawer (yes – everyone has one). How about your closet filled with puzzles or games? Donate them to a children’s home or school. Clothes you haven’t worn since the 80s? Pitch them…please. If you need ideas, there are tons of suggestions online.

Spring cleaning is more than washing windows – it’s an opportunity to get the physical, mental and emotional clutter out of your house (and head). And it’s so wonderfully freeing. So many of us are held hostage by our stuff – let it go! Give it up!

Last night I dumped about 5 years’ worth of old Christmas cards. I opened each one, noted the name of the sender, reminisced about that friend or family member and then pitched the card. Long over due but it felt great when I was finished. Tonight? Maybe my bookcase in the living room or the top of my bedroom dresser. In my house, I have no lack of places to tackle. I have accumulated a lot through the years and it’s time…time to de-nest the empty nest.