Stop Cushioning Your Home with Fear

Maple Leaves - stop cushioning your home with fear

Western culture is buried under a blanket of fear. We’re afraid of guns and school shootings, and many children have to pass through metal detectors each morning before entering their schools. We’re afraid of other crime, too – home invasions, gang violence, serial killings, terrorism…. We’re afraid of immigrants and drug abusers, of environmental collapse and deadly disease. We’re afraid of strangers and ISIS and the seasonal flu. The fear is almost addictive.

But, in a very real way, we have nothing to fear but the fear, itself.

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Mindful Eating: Cleaning with Intention

Knife being washed - eating mindfully

Now that you’ve finished eating, it is time to wash up. Do not put it off until later; take good care of this present moment. Cleaning is a way of returning objects and spaces to their original state so that they are ready for the next meal, the next family night, the next impromptu snack.

Cleaning the kitchen (the dishes and utensils used, the cookware, the food left over, the counters, the linens, the floor) in mindfulness is a way of recognizing that you will prepare food again soon. There is abundance in your life. It is a hopeful act.

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Living Simply at Home

Flowers on porch - Living Simply at Home

I’ve been thinking about home, recently. My family’s little home is our peaceful pocket in an often chaotic world. This is where we come to recharge ourselves, and this is where most of the important moments in our lives take place. We connect with each other here. We’re not afraid to be our true selves. We can relax and enjoy life within these walls.

Which got me to thinking about all the ways people are making home a greater part of their lives….

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10 Ways to Enjoy Cleaning

Clothesline with Garland -10 ways to enjoy cleaning Tips

In these days of rush and hurry, of commutes and deadlines, of overwhelming stress, making and keeping a comfortable, warm and welcoming home is often just a little more than we can bear, so it takes a backseat to more pressing pursuits. Cleaning the kitchen counters and vacuuming and laundry and dusting – sometimes, these things just don’t get done.

Do you find that you enjoy cleaning from time to time but not as often as it takes to actually keep the living room sparkling? Me, too!

So, how can you learn to enjoy homemaking tasks every day? Check out these 10 cleaning tips.

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