A Curious Girl: Creating Space..... In the Kitchen

I don't like my kitchen.

Okay, to be fair, for the last two years or so I have actively hated my kitchen with a passion.The layout is ridiculous, the space is too small and you cannot imagine how much I miss having a double sink, something I took for granted growing up.

A few weeks ago, I felt something stir within me that ended up being some high falutin' coffee shortbread cookies. Rolled out. Then cut into little hearts. Which is really a lot like work and more time than I ever want to spend in my kitchen.

This past weekend I threw out expired food, I gave away stuff that would never get eaten. I reorganized cupboards and drawers and unlike my usual efforts, I did it one spot at a time. (I am infamous for dumping everything out and panicking because I don't know where to start. Go figure.)

Today, the act of turning on the light made me feel good. I walked into my kitchen and felt....space. There's even room for my new sewing machine tucked away into a cupboard!

When we allow ourselves to remove what we don't need we create space for what we do. It helps create breathing room, leading to more of the good stuff.

What blocks are you ready to clear? What space is ready and waiting to be created by you?

A Matter of Grief

Photograph (C) acuriousgirl 2011

 The world has been lately filled with a great sense of loss. There is so much going on out there that it is hard not to feel it, and deeply. When we think of grief, we tend to think of the loss as death or divorce, yet there are many types of loss that are often overshadowed. Any type of loss should be allowed space for grieving.

Sometimes sorrow can be over what appears to be a simple casualty, such as an injury or a job. Both of these can have huge impacts. Imagine having spent your life as a runner, falling & injuring the knee so bad that you can never run again. Grief may seem silly to outsiders, who may believe you are lucky you can still walk, but to the individual it can feel like a monumental misfortune, forever changing life’s landscape.

Losing a loved one is terrible and gut wrenching. Yet if you are so busy being strong for those around you when you finally take the time to mourn there may be more pain waiting for you than previously thought. Guilt, shame, hurt all pile up in a corner, waiting to be uncovered & swept out.

By denying yourself the right to mourn, you stifle your own healing process. If we bear in mind that quite often what we interpret as others judging us in truth us judging ourselves, we can gain the power of allowing ourselves permission to mourn whatever we have lost .

The demise of a dream, ability or any other loss should not be allowed to be judged by others as ridiculous or unimportant, because grief is very personal. The best way to work through any type of sadness is allow yourself to feel it, embrace it and once worked through, permitting us to see any benefit we may have missed.

In the end not all loss is bad and some loss is meant to give us opportunities we might otherwise have failed to spot. Working through the grieving process is both healthy and necessary, no matter what it is we grieve.