Spring Cleaning

Life fully loved
10 April 2022

This article is also available in the following formats:

Audio Listen Now
Video Watch the video

Honey, if you want to clean the house, you have to see the dirt.

Louise Hay

Last week I felt the urge to spring clean. Spring cleaning feels different than regular housecleaning. Do you agree? More cleansing than cleaning. What’s that about? I think spring cleaning removes cobwebs, literally and figuratively.

Removing Cobwebs

I decided to tackle under the staircase in our basement. Take a peek mid-cleanup at what it looked like along with a few unexpected treasures I discovered:

Our middle child got a bottle of Hungarian wine from my dad’s pilot friend when she was born in 2004. The plan was to age it for 18 years before sipping it. Surely keeping it in a dusty, forgotten spot counts for “aging?”
Found a photo of our youngest wishing us a Happy Valentine’s Day from when he attended nursery school. I especially like the painted shells glued around the frame. What a sweet memory!
Pulled together items that our eldest child will need as she moves into an unfurnished apartment in another month.

How fun to unearth all this from tidying up a neglected part of our house by channelling my inner Hestia.

Hestia

Jean Shinoda Bolen tells us in Goddesses in Everywoman, “When Hestia is present, a woman goes about her household tasks with a sense that there is plenty of time. She doesn’t have one eye on the clock, because she is neither on a schedule nor ‘putting in time.’” Moreover, “… when she finishes her tasks she feels good inside.” (p.111) The result is psychologically nourishing, which happens when we lose our sense of time. Another way to look at it is “flow” which we talked about in Get Curious.

Hestia represents the home, often portrayed as a living flame and symbolized as a circle. She perceives by looking inward and is the archetype of inner centredness. All of us can learn from Hestia. She feels whole as she is and isn’t attached to outcomes, possessions, people, prestige, or power.

Cobwebs Again

Let’s move from the literal cobwebs found when cleaning a dirty space to the figurative. Cleaning house supports us on all levels – mind, body, heart, and spirit.

Final note: for those of you who like befores and afters, here’s mine. It’s no Marie Kondo-level storage room but I know exactly where everything is.

Header Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

You have to be open minded in order to grow. The coaching that Laura gave me opened my eyes to what and how I was doing things and allowed me to see the bigger picture. I am not done yet but I already see the changes in my everyday life.
MM

I think coaching is a great way to help you clear your mind when you get stuck with overwhelming situations or when stepping into changes in your life.
MO

Coaching is life changing. It pushes you outside your comfort zone and challenges your perspectives. It is highly motivating and the exercises and techniques used are both fun and informative. I think the main benefits of coaching are to see yourself, others and the world more clearly. I think coaching is valuable to anyone regardless of where you are in your life or career.
LE

I honestly never thought I’d need a coach. I thought coaching was for CEOs and industry VIPs. I didn’t think it was for the “little guys” (i.e. me). Now, I’m of the belief that everyone – yes, EVERYONE – needs a coach. Coaching has really benefitted me and I’m so grateful to have had that time with Laura. It’s changed my life!
VB

Laura is very patient. She took the time to understand what was causing me to be stuck where I am today and help me build a better vision so I can continue to grow.
MM

I think Laura’s coaching was what I had been waiting for. Laura was so approachable, kind, and open. Her willingness to help and support made a difference for me. I found in her coaching new strategies, ideas, and perspectives that I could incorporate into my goals and objectives that I didn’t see before.
MO

Laura is an incredibly intuitive, positive and caring coach. Her techniques helped me recognize both my strengths and areas I might want to explore as I embark on the next chapter of my career. The exercises she employed were instrumental in providing self perspective and challenging my frames of reference.
LE

Laura is a natural coach. Her probing and compassionate questions helped me learn about myself: my value system, interests, goals and strengths.
LM

Coaching sessions with Laura gave me new perspectives on how to process specific feelings and situations in life. She showed me how to sit with my emotions, acknowledge them, and then use visualization strategies to move through them. I now feel more confident and in control of how I choose to walk through life.
CP

From the beginning, Laura put me at ease, creating a safe, open space for me to talk and share freely without fear of judgement. I loved the variety of approaches she used depending on the topic we were working on and it was fun being able to try out things I wouldn’t have considered before! With Laura’s coaching, I substantially grew my confidence in the workplace, overcame fears, dealt with issues I’d been carrying around for many years and, most importantly, learned to value myself and define a path forward into the future.
AG

Laura’s coaching was a breath of fresh air and EXACTLY what I needed at that point of my life. I didn’t realize how impactful coaching was going to be, but by the end of the sessions together, I left feeling refreshed, inspired and genuinely curious about what my future held for me. Because of Laura and her coaching, I believe I became a better person – someone who is more open-minded, someone with a clearer focus, and someone who is willing to explore opportunities and possibilities far more than I ever did before.
VB

I engaged Laura for coaching as I took on an expanded role leading an asset management company in Canada. As a female, I knew I would be a role model and had high expectations of myself. I was feeling overwhelmed and anxious.

In our first few coaching sessions we worked through exercises that allowed me to reflect on my purpose, leadership style and what mattered most to me. I continue to be grounded by the clarity I achieve in my coaching sessions – allowing me to be resilient and confident when challenges came my way.
OS