Ten things we love about this amazing ‘Experiment in Green’

Ten things we love about this amazing ‘Experiment in Green’

‘I cannot meet the spring unmoved –’[1] wrote poet Emily Dickinson (1830–1886). She called spring an ‘Experiment in Green.’[2]

We agree! It’s impossible not to feel uplifted as this season arrives, and so we’ve thought about ten things we love most about spring. Together they considerably lighten the load of spring-cleaning:

  • Sunshine: the low winter angles of sunrise and sunset are opening out into brighter days and warmer nights. There’s less need for artificial light.
  • Fresh air: what’s better than outdoor air flowing through windows and doors as you do the cleaning? Especially when it’s seasoned by a light spring shower, or the smell of new grass.
  • Exercise: cleaning is such an excellent workout! And so much more fun to do on a sunny spring morning.
  • Anticipation of opening up your home: we tend to hibernate in the winter months, but as the days get longer and warmer, we feel more like socialising. Readying your home to entertain friends and family is a precious ritual.
  • Sense of achievement: it takes commitment to carry out a thorough spring-clean. But what a sense of achievement when it’s done! There’s nothing like a home that’s clean and smells naturally beautiful to encourage a sense of wellbeing and pride.
  • Discovering treasures: sometimes a spring-clean can turn up objects or memories that you thought were long lost. Even when this is a bitter-sweet experience, it’s always one to learn and grow from.
  • Renewal: as the first season in the Western calendar, spring brings the gift of renewal. We want to let go of old things and attitudes that no longer serve us, and bring in the new. Cleaning and de-cluttering is an enactment of this symbolic urge.
  • Mindfulness: performing even the most mundane chores can become a meditative practice, if you can allow yourself truly to focus. It’s worth taking the time and applying presence of mind to do small things well. 
  • Creativity: it’s hardwired into all of us. Your home is an expression of yourself, and spring-cleaning may open up opportunities to reorganise furniture or experiment with new colours. Embrace your creativity.
  • Gratitude: spring-cleaning brings you up close and personal with your home. This intimate engagement with how you live and the things you choose to live with is not only an invitation to let go of stuff, but also a moment to savour and give thanks for all the things you have, spiritually as much as materially.

[1] Poem #1051

[2] Poem #1333

← Older Post Newer Post →

The Sunday Reset - Inspired by Peppermint [Mentha piperita]

The Sunday Reset - Inspired by Peppermint [Mentha piperita]

A guide to embracing the new week  Fresh. Brisk. Clarifying.  Known as the refocus oil, peppermint is crisp, cool, and awakening. Its scent clears mental...

Read more
Are you a ‘moss girl’? The art of the slow surrender to nature

Are you a ‘moss girl’? The art of the slow surrender to nature

It started on social media (where else?) but there is something to this practice of ‘girl mossing’ that’s worth taking a look at.  First of...

Read more
Nature as Medicine: A Conversation with Dr. Nigma Talib

Nature as Medicine: A Conversation with Dr. Nigma Talib

Dr. Nigma Talib is a renowned naturopathic doctor, and author, known for her integrative, inside-out approach to health and beauty. Dr. Talib brings both science...

Read more
Tuning into trees

Tuning into trees

How forest bathing has life-changing potential  You’ve probably heard of forest bathing; in fact, this practice may be a regular part of maintaining your connection...

Read more
‘We belong to this land’[1]

‘We belong to this land’[1]

How we’re inspired by Australia Australia. It’s home to the oldest continuous human culture in the world. There’s archaeological evidence, through rock art, tools and...

Read more
The many ways of connecting to nature

The many ways of connecting to nature

I thought of happiness, how it is wovenOut of the silence in the empty house each day And how it is not sudden and it is...

Read more