April Update
Spring is here!
It’s Spring!
Does the arrival of spring give you the urge to start clearing out, cleaning, gardening, or does it simply make you want to get out and enjoy the warmer weather and the longer evenings?
Or are you more like me where you need many little boosts to get anything started?
Yes spring is a boost, but I’m not sure it’s enough on it’s own these days.
Last month I caught the clearing out bug again after a visit to my mother. I’m helping her with her mammoth clear out ahead of her moving nearer to us this year. I came home full of enthusiasm, and with several more bags of books. There’s always a pay-off.
That bug quickly wore off as life took over again. In fact live was pretty damn busy last month - hence no newsletter. But then right at the end of March I had the most wonderful trip to Ireland to visit a friend for a long weekend. We did squeeze a lot in, but somehow, whilst I was physically tired after, I found I was mentally rested and happier for it.
Walking the dog every day and seeing all the flowers blooming really helps feed that mental energy too. I am not a winter person and so the return of the light and the milder weather does work a little magic on my tired bones.
It takes many of these nudges these days for me to start a task. And more regular ones to help me continue. I’m still not sure why exactly it’s so difficult for me - perhaps it’s something that doesn’t come naturally, but there is definitely an element of exhaustion and burnout too.
The silly thing is - I want to do it. I want to sort my home out so it’s somewhere I’m proud of. So it reflects more how I want to live. I fear I may have become too used to how it is. Or I may be ADHD enough to be constantly distracted (this definitely happens).
Yesterday I felt like doing things. It was the warmest day of the year so far and glorious. I did some pruning in the garden (the green bin was being emptied this morning), and some laundry to take advantage of the weather - the first time I hung it outside this year. I also have a goal to fill my recycling bin by Sunday night.
I was sitting writing this in the afternoon sunshine in my still rather wild garden, waiting for my daughter to get back to me re food shopping choices so I could go to the shop. I kept noticing things that needed my attention, and that lead to thinking about other things I would need to do first as it always does. But my time is limited. I’m only one person. This does sounds like an excuse, because I see what others can achieve - but it is a reason at least.
I need a challenge - is a sponsored spring clean a thing? Maybe I should make it a thing if not. Would you join in?
Here’s a little afterword to let you know I have started a new ‘Stack’ about my fiction writing called Showing not Telling - you can find it here:
Ooooh loving the new Substack already! It’s something I’d also love to do tbh - maybe you can inspire me xxx