I have a lot of coffee stuff. A lot of coffee beans. Filters. A grinder. A couple French presses. A drip coffee machine. An espresso machine. A Keurig, and a travel K-cup machine that I take to conferences with me. I have scoops and a frother and syrups for lattes and miscellaneous other accouterments. There’s a basket which holds a lot of the stuff and I don’t even want to go into how many coffee mugs I have.
The point is, I’ve accumulated a lot of coffee paraphernalia. It’s something I love: Coffee. And I’ve spent this morning cleaning out, throwing out, organizing everything to make it all work a little better. I’ve soaked parts, re-washed a lot of pieces… Removing oils so there’s no rancidity and giving everything a fresh start. It is a new year, and all.
I’ve been doing a lot of this the last week or so. I’ve played in my home office, cleaning it out, organizing, trying to make it feel a little more conducive to writing and working rather than the catch all from the last few months.
All of this is maintenance for the brain and the spirit, too… This cleaning out of the cobwebs. This rearranging of spaces and places. I love fall. The changing of the leaves, school supplies, the weather cooling down, football season. But I love winter, too. Especially starting the day after Christmas. By New Year’s night the tree is down, the holiday stuff is in the garage and back in closets, and I’m ready to declutter and clean out and start over. Spring cleaning takes me 3-4 months. LOL… I have to start early!
But, something in this whole process, not only clears out my office and my house and my coffee basket, but it also cleans out my mind. It gives me somewhere fresh to start and gives me a great boost for wanting to write. It wasn’t that long ago that I went through a period of time where I didn’t want to write and wasn’t sure I would ever write again. That was only 3 years ago. so, time and movement helps, cleaning out, finding projects to get the creative gears churning. The trick though, it making it last through the year, through the dog days of summer when everything is heavy and laden with heat and humidity (ice coffee really helps, though).
For now though, I’m relishing this bit of maintenance, this bit of energy, this bit of spark… It makes the coffee taste better too. This is how I tend to celebrate and welcome the new year. Well, this and the last of the college football season 🙂
When do you start Spring Cleaning?
~lissa
I guess I’ve already started. I before Christmas and am still in the process of cleaning, just have to break to write, lol. But it does feel good. I feel lighter, better, more energetic and like you clearer minded. It’s like de-cluttering and throwing things away or setting things aside to donate helps your mind organize itself.
I did this over the summer. Since we work longer days and get Friday off in exchange, I would spend 1 day of my 3 day weekend thoroughly going through one area of the house. I got a LOT of stuff that had been sitting done – it was great! It’s harder for me to do with a regular work week, but lately I have been tackling some of the smaller things so I am not so backed up by the time summer comes. 🙂
I don’t “spring clean” so much as I get these odd inspirational moments where I clean/organize things all year ’round. I guess there’s a cleaning muse?
Well, crap! You just inadvertently guilted me into starting my spring cleaning now…well, in my office. I’d started the rest of the house a couple of days ago. When that bee flies into my bonnet, I usually respond immediately because honestly, that bee doesn’t make an appearance that often. 😉
Dena, I would guess there must be a cleaning muse. If there isn’t, one of us should write him into existence