Since I was a kid, my mom would always get excited by spring cleaning. She wasn’t a stay-at-home mom. She had a job, but she really liked some housewife-type tasks. She found joy and inspiration in them. They made her feel better. Just like Monica from “Friends”, she would appreciate and find joy in little things, like the fresh smell of new sheets or towels, organizing things in piles. Spring cleaning was a special time. We wouldn’t just wipe the dust, we would get rid of all old items, we would clean every single cup, every single spoon, we would wash every single window.

I don’t know if you ever noticed, but once you remove the blinds to wash the windows, the room becomes bigger. Not just the room, the whole world seems to be brighter and more exciting. You feel closer to Spring, and you become a part of it. The days seems brighter with the fresh spring air, the birds are singing and the radio is playing cheerful music in the background. I also felt cheerful and lighter after spring cleaning, it brought me a sense of hope for a better future, and a joy of getting things done.

Now that I have my own place to take care of, I engage in spring cleaning, and I feel better after cleaning things, getting rid of things I do not need and re-organizing things so that it makes my life easier. I shouldn’t limit myself only to physical things that surround our home. I can update my wardrobe, my playlists, my furniture. However, while it takes more time and effort, I should also not forget to update my work and social media profiles, my resume and my book collection.

I can also clean my mind of old dreams that no longer fit with who I am and only brings me resentment.  I should get rid of outdated relationships with people that I no longer have anything in common. I should update my goals and reflect on recent accomplishments and things that inspire me today, this month, this year.  It may be a good idea to cross the to-do items from my list that I no longer plan on doing, just like the things that I found “dreamy” when I was younger. Not because they seem harder now, but because I understand myself better now and I know what I do and do not like. Who said that spring cleaning should be only about home?