Spring Cleaning

Well, today was the day when all the stars were in alignment and it was time to do some serious spring cleaning. Actually, the stars went into alignment for one aspect of this back on March 24. It was early Thursday morning, and I was out in the Pearl Lake Studio practicing (at about 1 a.m. or so)...

Although the weather in Central Minnesota had been milder than usual since about the 2nd week of the year, it was still fairly chilly outside (as expected in late March). So I had the heater turned up a bit in the studio, and at one point went near one of the vents. I noticed that the air coming out didn't seem to have any appreciable heat to it. And though my hands were warm, I figured there was a good chance that the propane in the studio was getting low.

And if that was the case, it would mean that my studio sessions would have to cease until the weather got warm enough to not need the heater....  And this was the "sign" I'd been looking for.  Because during each of the past 2 years, I had found a 30-day period where I was able to totally remove myself from alcohol, etc, and "reset" my body/mind.

The other 2 times were a success (naturally), so in 2010 I wanted to do it again. I was just waiting for the right time to present itself.  And now that it's April 11, I'm slightly over halfway through this break. It *is* going well, and I *am* getting a lot of good things done....  And there's a decent chance I'll keep it going (for the most part) even after the 30 days is over. I just feel like it's the best way forward at this point in my life....

Anyway, back to the first sentence of this journal entry!  In addition to the physical cleaning, I also like at least once a year to do a really good cleaning the living space. And spring does seem like the best (and most natural) time for this to happen.

So today I spent 7 hours on the kitchen alone.... I was thinking I'd do everything today!  But since that wasn't possible, the cleaning will resume tomorrow in the a.m. So both of these spring cleanings really feel good, and I look forward to continuing these "traditions" far into the future :)