Do You Need an Emotional House Cleaning?

I was having dinner with friends last night when one of our friends declared that she needed to move. Her house was in a mess, she was alone and she needed to move to something smaller. She is very reluctant to move because it will mean not only giving up space and possession, it will also means giving up a way of life and so many memories.

Even moving the furniture and
cleaning out the dust
might help!

It was at that point that someone mentioned that she needed to pretend she was moving just so she could clear out and move on with her life. It occurred to me that the concept could be a wonderful move for a person's emotional life as well. In fact, pretend moving is an idea that I could apply to my life in general.

I know keeping what I don't need is selfish. But there are a whole lot more going on here under the surface. Here are a few things that came to mind as I was sitting listening to that dinner conversation:

• What does hanging onto possessions say about our ability to give up the past?
• Are there non-tangible things that need to be cleaned out and moved?
• What happened to a person emotionally when they move things or even put things out of sight?
• Could it be that visiting the idea of moving frees our mind and allows us to reimagine our lives in a new setting?

Moving house is one of the hardest things we have ever done and I really don't want to do that again very soon. But, using the idea as a starting point for looking at my life in a new way could be valuable. It seems that the spring cleaning that my mother and grandmother were so devoted to was their way of dusting off their lives all those years ago. I still like the idea a lot.

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MSNBC on 5 keys to happiness!

Amaze
Frail
Sacred

Is this what it feels like to be old?  My daughter-in-law asked the question...not of us but of the universe in general.  She is the mother of a new baby plus 4 other children,in her middle thirties, and a professional.  She is not old...she is just a busy woman doing a lot every day.

As for feeling old...I can't say what that feels like.  Everyone needs to answer that question if they feel they must.  This morning msnbc.msn.com posted an article about happiness and how you find it for yourself.  We all know that happiness is a frail emotion that can be crumpled with the raise of an eyebrow.  But it can be invoked MSNBC says. How?  Information from MSNBC "5 things that make you happier":

• Be grateful. Cicero said Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.  I think he could have added It is the key to wellness and happiness.
• Be optimistic.  "...visualize an ideal future...and describe the image in a journal entry."
• Count your blessings.  "People who practice writing down three good things that have happened to them every week show significant boosts in happiness, studies have found."
• Use your strengths.  Have a good sense of humor?  Learn a new joke!  Remember if it makes you laugh that is good enough...nothing is sacred!
• Commit acts of kindness. "It turns out helping others also helps ourselves." 

Consciously doing these things are effective ways to find true happiness in your life...lighten your burden, your attitude, your pain...it truly is simple.  At least I have found it to be so in my life.  You might give it a try.

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