I don’t know about you but I sure could use a  reset.  It’s so easy to let the busyness and details of ordinary life choke out  the beauty that hovers all around us.  I did a mental (and physical) reset a couple weeks ago and I’m so glad I did.  Do you ever just wish you could push a button and get a do-over?  Well, you can and I hereby give you full permission.   You’ll be surprised at how much joy you’ll find on the other side.  There are a hundred ways to do it but here are the 5 I started with:

1.  Remember 

 

Don’t forget why we’re here.  This hum-drum day is not about you.  Wanna put some life and excitement back into everyday living?  So do I.  So, I have to remember who it’s all for.  This is for them.  This is for her.  This is for you.  Push reset on your life and walk back into it with fresh perspective.  This day is so much better when I live it for someone else. Surprise someone with extraordinary, uncalled-for kindness and service today.

2.  Rearrange 

 

I cannot tell you the life and inspiration that comes from just physically moving things around.  As you do your Spring cleaning, try removing everything from the surfaces and rethinking where to put them back.  Move them to another room.  Put them away for while.   Do the same thing when you clean out your refrigerator.  (Yes, I think you should totally clean it out and rearrange everything.  It worked wonders for me!)

Don’t be afraid to shake it all up.  Move chotch-keys and pieces of furniture and even where you keep the ketchup.  It will help you see your space in a whole new light.  Like a small epiphany right in the middle of a regular old Wednesday.  I took everything off (nearly) every surface in my living room yesterday and rearranged it all.   It feels like a whole new space to me.  (Just in time for Miss Paige to come visit!)

(And the red bud blooms I cut and stuck in a vase have already brought me endless delight!)

3.  Revel

 

I talked about the magic of porches and that would be the perfect place to revel.  To sit for a good long while and marvel at all the everyday miracles you take for granted. To think about how magnificent it is to plant a bulb in the ground in November and then watch the most charming tulip race to bloom. To laugh until your sides hurt.  To sit face to face and give someone your full attention.  To savor every last bite of supper and then kiss the one who made it for you.  No, I mean really kiss.

4.  Reconnect

 

I’ve been struggling recently.  I’ve been doing a lot of writing about my past and it brings up SO MUCH junk.  So many things I was sure I had thoroughly dealt with, so many memories, and often some pain.  I’ve been intentionally connecting and reconnecting with people that inspire me or help me remember or fill me up.  Make a date with your spouse or your mom or your ten year old.  Call an old friend.  Email that person that inspires you.  Life is about the people and we need to tell them how much they mean to us.

5.  Rest

 

It’s important.  Get some. And rest comes in all forms.  For me, it comes when I’m curled up with a good book. Or when I’m listening to good music.  Or when I’m making a big pot of soup. And ironically enough, it often comes on the heels of hard earned sweat.  Find that thing that gives you more energy and make a date.

Have you done a Spring reset?  Tell me all about it.  This list needs to be much longer!