This line is from one of my favorite children\u2019s books.\u00a0 Every February I eagerly look forward to opening the spring d\u00e9cor bin, finding it nestled alongside handmade heart decorations and bits of Easter grass.<\/p>\n
This year, it seems to hold a particular meaning, not only because the lines match the feeling in my nose after this recent cold, nor the view of receding snow outside my window.\u00a0 Instead, it is the promise of change.<\/p>\n
Spring is a natural time of renewal, as new babies hatch, and fresh blooms emerge.\u00a0 There is something compelling about warmer air and longer days, giving energy to examine our lives and homes, brightening dark, dusty corners, both real and metaphysical.<\/p>\n
In doing some research about spring cleaning, it seems it was not invented as a pulse marketing campaign by P&G, but draws its roots from early religious history, as our ancient ancestors made their homes ready to celebrate the feast of Passover or Good Friday.<\/p>\n
Part of spring cleaning for me is also organizing and shedding unneeded things.\u00a0 Aside from the altruism of passing unused articles on to others, there is an inherent satisfaction in \u2018gone\u2019. The act of tossing the old one into the recycling bin, and placing the new one out is satisfying.\u00a0 Having one less thing piled in my closet can feel like an accomplishment.<\/p>\n
I always thought the part in Pride in Prejudice where Elizabeth Bennet and Miss Bingley speak of walking around as a small kind of accomplishment as strange.\u00a0 Where\u2019s the accomplishment in that?<\/p>\n
Well, I think it’s amazing that you young ladies have the patience to be so accomplished.<\/p>\n
What do you mean, Charles?<\/p>\n
You all paint tables, and play the piano, and embroider cushions! I never heard of lady but people say she is accomplished.<\/p>\n
Indeed, the word is applied too liberally\u2026Miss Elizabeth, let us take a turn about the room. It’s refreshing, is it not after sitting so long in one attitude?<\/p>\n
And it is a small kind of accomplishment, I suppose.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
But, there are both big and small accomplishments in life: graduations, promotions, the birth of a child.\u00a0 However, it is the small kinds of accomplishments that get me through the day. I find it satisfying to make a to-do list, and sneakily checking off a couple of things I\u2019ve already done.\u00a0 Likewise, using things up is equally satisfying.\u00a0 The shampoo I bought, but almost immediately regretted, for lack of satisfactory sudsing, is gone, hooray! The holiday scented candle is gone \u2013time to bring out the spring one.<\/p>\n
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I wonder, why do these things make me happy? Is it some Fung Shu desire to achieve balance by cleaning out the old?\u00a0 Do I just like using new, fresh things?\u00a0 Is it some American, impatient, fanaticism to be always onto the next thing? Do I not achieve enough tangible achievements that I have to celebrate the ridiculous?\u00a0 What is it?<\/p>\n
I thought this was my own personal fascination, but apparently\u00a0it is simple brain chemistry.\u00a0 From a neuroscience perspective, \u2018gone\u2019 creates a dopamine boost in the same way as new shoes or a chocolate snack.\u00a0 We have a deep seated desire to consume as a means of survival.\u00a0 When something is gone, we get to open a new one, and it is that physical proof of progress our brains crave.\u00a0 One is over, and the next begun:\u00a0 it marks the passage of time in a satisfying way, not unlike the beginning of a new season.<\/p>\n
I think some of the pleasure also derives from the exhilaration of the unfamiliar.\u00a0 In shedding off the old, we move onto new and unknown territory, which is exciting, but can also be a bit frightening. Having stuff makes us comfortable.\u00a0 Who knows when black booty pants may come back in style? What if I find I should miss the sweater I gave away?\u00a0 Moving ahead with less creates a positive feeling of lightness that we can rely on only ourselves, not needing to cloak ourselves in things that become a burden over time.<\/p>\n
But, still, I wonder, why am I in such a rush to finish things?\u00a0 If change is unnatural, and people tend not to like it, why is standing still so distasteful to me?\u00a0\u00a0 Is it strange to be happy when something is over?\u00a0 The realist recognizes that\u00a0in rushing through life, the end can only be death.\u00a0 However, staying still feels like quicksand; downtrodden, I am ever eager to go on.<\/p>\n
I remember an interview about the wonders of small children, and how they can be our greatest teachers.\u00a0 Each day they awaken fresh and energetic, asking \u2018What\u2019s next?\u2019\u00a0 Perhaps, craving change is in fact natural, and it is actually the end of this What\u2019s next? attitude that really foretells death.\u00a0 Still, I think there may be a stop and smell the roses lesson here.<\/p>\n
After exploring the various layers of satisfaction in gone, I believe motivation is at the heart of it.\u00a0 Finishing something is an accomplishment.\u00a0 Small accomplishments can often fuel us to tackle the bigger ones\u00a0in life.<\/p>\n
My mind is going in a thousand different directions all the time. \u00a0Many of the things I\u2019m ruminating over are in fact out of my control. It\u2019s nice to have control over something, anything, even if it\u2019s what soap we\u2019re using.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Melting, dripping, cold\u2019s grip slipping. Sunning, warming, thunderstorming\u2026 Spring \u00a0– Bob Raczka This line is from one of my favorite children\u2019s books.\u00a0 Every February I eagerly look forward to opening the spring d\u00e9cor bin, finding it nestled alongside handmade heart decorations and bits of Easter grass. This year, it seems to hold a particular… Continue reading The Inherent Satisfaction in Gone<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p78aL7-3J","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lynnricker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lynnricker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lynnricker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lynnricker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lynnricker.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=231"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/lynnricker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":243,"href":"https:\/\/lynnricker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231\/revisions\/243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lynnricker.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lynnricker.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lynnricker.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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