written by Natalie Caine, M.A. |  

Spring cleaning triggers a part of you that wants to toss the old, clear out your space, and then pick a new, to decorate and bring in beauty. Beauty feeds your peace and your creativity. A plant, rosemary, chamomile, or basil in your home can calm you. We forget to take in the scents of life. I have an herb plant in every room and at my door step. Five dollars to buy or pennies to plant by seed.

Did you know nature has a fantastic display of colors to spark your ideas for paint colors and decorating?

Take photos of what you are attracted to in your yard or on a hike. Print them. Tape them up and notice what colors keep getting your attention. Take that color to your paint store and they will match it for you.

As you are metaphorically decorating your life with choices of what’s next for you, walk in nature. Stop. Day dream . Quiet your mind. Is what you have given to others, what you wish would be given to you? Have you put that want in your re-evaluation of your life?

Nature will hold your tears and your dreams.

I carry a small notepad and golfers pencil, even though I don’t golf, in my pocket when I go for a walk. Sometimes I don’t want to think or have words, so I don’t write. I simply want to see what I see and really see it. Other times, I pause and write a word or whatever enters my mind. Frustrating part, is when I get home, I can’t read what I wrote. I guess I need to slow down my writing.

Did you use to go camping? Bring those places, smells, colors back to you.

Maybe go camping again, even in your backyard.

Did I tell you the story of taking just my daughter and myself camping to we could sleep under the stars and cook outside? Well, long story short, the bees were such a pain that we ended up eating the BBQ food in my car. The tent, we struggled getting up and three navy guys, who were also camping, came to our rescue and gave us cool lights to crack open ...