Clear clutter in the kitchen before you travel!

I just finished working with a women who leaving on a trip tomorrow. We have learned that it really helps her to schedule an organizing session with me right before her trips. She is a single mother with four children between 12 and 20 years of age. And, she is a physician who has to be on call quite frequently. Whew! What a full plate!

So, what do I do for her? My goal is to help ground her at a time when she is planning to rip up her roots and leave home for a period of time. We usually start by creating order in her bedroom. Her bedroom is an outward extension of her inner self. If it’s a chaotic place, she’ll be affected by that energy and find it difficult to think clearly and make decisions about what to pack.

Next I clear clutter in the kitchen. Women tend to center out of the kitchen. And, it’s the heart of the home. When it’s clear, clean and organized, interactions between she and her children are likely to be positive. Clutter emits a negative energy that can lead to irritability and misunderstandings.

I also act as a second brain, helping her think through what she’ll need to pack, making sure she doesn’t forget an essential item. There are times when the overwhelm of all the details of a trip for herself and her four children make her loose sight of the big picture. As an objective observer, I give her feedback and help her prioritize the tasks that must be done.

When I left today, I knew my client was in good shape for an important adventure with her children. I love making things easier for wonderful women and their families!

Sometimes life throws you curve balls. . . For example, I spent two wonderful days with my brother, Mark, this past weekend. We planted a garden, enjoyed good food, saw the movie Marmaduke, shopped, took naps. Then Mark wakes up from his nap unable to put weight on his right leg.

Initially we thought he’d slept on it and it had gone to sleep. Or, perhaps he’d just been on it too long. He had a knee replacement over three years ago and the knee is a weak link. Last night I learned that he’d been hospitalized because he has an infection in his knee and will receive IV antibiotics.

What’s the big deal? Infection is always a scary thing. When he had his knee replacement he had multiple infections and the knee had to be replaced three times. It was quite an ordeal for him. And, he is alone in Connecticut. I had to return home to work. Our parents live in Virginia and Michigan and his brother is in Japan. Plus, Mark needs to work every day to be able to keep the apartment he moved into in December.

Yes, I’m feeling overwhelmed. I am Mark’s conservator. That means I am the person responsible for making decisions about his care. And, this is new to me. I’ve never had this kind of responsibility before.

The scared part of me is attempting to run some awful scenarios. “What if the infection is resistant to the antibiotics? What if he has to have surgery again because the joint is infected? What if he can’t keep his apartment?”

Fortunately another part of me keeps telling me to breathe deeply, to picture Mark healing quickly and returning to his apartment and to work. I keep focusing on all the blessings in my life–my loving, supportive husband who offers such wise counsel at times like this, my caring supportive friends who are praying for Mark, the beauty of my blooming butterfly bushes, my comfortable home, my affectionate kitty and pups, my faithful clients who keep me busy doing work I love. By keeping focused on the positive I am able to keep the fears under control, keep my vibration high and hopefully attract the wisdom I need to help Mark instead of those awful scenarios.

It’s really a challenge to stay positive at times like this when the scared little kid in me is trying to run the show. This is when it’s more important than ever for me to do things that ground me, like writing this blog entry, walking my dogs, making the bed, cleaning up after myself so our house stays a comfortable, peaceful haven.

I can’t do anything for Mark other than pray and ask others to pray, keep in touch with him and his doctors and nurses by phone, and picture him recovering quickly. But, I can keep my life in control so I am better able to think and make good decisions on his behalf.

The next time life throws you a curve ball that triggers fear and inertia, remember that keeping your thoughts positive and maintaining your space as a safe, organized haven can help you make it through whatever challenges you are facing.

Last Friday I visited a BNI (Business Network International) meeting with the intention of promoting my upcoming seminar, Organizing for Productivity and Success, and asking for contacts with church community outreach programs. Being a card carrying introvert, it has been years since I walked into an unfamiliar BNI group. When I entered the dimly lit meeting room, I thought I was walking into a men’s club. The room was filled with middle aged men. At one point in my life that sight would have sent me running. To be alone in a room full of men would have scared me to death!

I was surprised to discover that my experience today was completely different. Though I had a moment of thinking, “Hmmm. . . what have I gotten myself into?”, I quickly recovered and thought, “I can do this. This is going to be an adventure!” Looking back, I realize that I grounded myself by setting my intention–to have an adventure.

I also intuitively chose a seat where I knew I would feel comfortable and empowered, with my back to a solid wall and a full view of the door, near a man who was kind and welcoming. He was the president of the group. As if he knew exactly what I needed, he told me about the group members and their professions. By the time the meeting started I was feeling peaceful and curious about all those men.

During the meeting I realized that I was seated across the table from a man with whom I’d gone to high school. Even though I hadn’t known him well, since he too was an introvert, that familiar face was comforting. Another blessing of this adventure!

I promoted my seminar. I told the group who I am and how they could help me with my business. But, the biggest gift of the meeting was my being able to see how far I have come in my own journey of healing, growth and becoming a competent self-employed professional. No longer plagued with anxiety and free floating fears, I was able to be fully present and empowered. What a great way to end a busy week!

This week I worked with a client in her two storage units. When she divorced and moved into a much smaller home she filled two small storage units with furniture and boxes that she couldn’t fit in her new home. It was to be a temporary storage solution. That was over 5 years ago.

Storage units seem like SUCH a convenient solution for things that don’t fit in your home or office. I had one for a short time when my parents divorced and my mother no longer had room to store my precious belongings that wouldn’t fit into my VW bug. The rent seemed low. And, it was an easy answer, easier than “getting real” about the value of the things I was paying to store.

I’ve since learned that anything that belongs to a person holds their energy, and in a sense is an extension of them. When you store things in a storage unit, you are dividing your energies in two locations. Having watched clients do this over the years, I noticed that having a storage unit seemed to keep a portion of their attention split off. When a part of you is split off, it’s very difficult to feel grounded and focused and make good decisions about your life.

This certainly has been true for my client. In the past five+ years she has been struggling to find her way post-divorce and post-retirement. Having her energies spit in thirds, in one condo and two storage units, probably has not helped. Our first goal is to eliminate one storage unit.

What about you? Are your energies split in several locations? What can you do to get yourself together?

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

Last night I got back from a wonderful weekend at Mark LeBlanc’s Achiever’s 100 celebration. Attending that business development workshop was the best thing I’ve done for my business since I asked Mark to be my coach (check out Mark out at www.markleblanc.com). I came home excited to get to growing my business to a new level.

Getting home after 10 p.m., I dropped my bags and fell into bed. Normally when I return from a trip I unpack immediately because doing so grounds me and helps me to quickly get back into my life. I felt weird just dropping the bag, but I knew getting enough sleep was even more important to my being grounded than unpacking the bag.

When I got up I immediately unpacked the bag. I felt driven to do it. I wanted to be home and feel like I was fully at home. When the bag stays unpacked it sends off an energy that communicates that I’m ready to leave again. It also makes my bedroom feel cluttered. Since I know that energies attract more of the same, I also knew that the risk of leaving the unpacked bag was that its clutter would attract more clutter. It would become a clutter bud that could easily grow into a clutter puddle!

Arriving home today, after having left my cell phone and feeling somewhat discombobulated by that all day (so, I wasn’t completely grounded!), it was such a relief to find my bedroom clutter free.

There are all kinds of payoffs for unpacking quickly following a trip. If you don’t regularly do it, consider making it a new habit to acquire in the next few months. You may be surprised at what a difference it makes in your clarity and peace of mind!

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.