Full Circle
Photo from Pexals
As I prepare to put this current year to rest, I eagerly anticipate the unknown of what is coming in the next one. I started thinking about this blog that I started over 11 years ago and thought it would be apropos to repost an edited version of how it all began. The message is still the one I am passionate about and I’m amazed how it still parallels my journey then, and now. If this blog has taught me one thing it is the understanding that life is a constant process of deciding what to keep and what to let go of.
The Luxury of Enough or the Burden of Excess?
It’s a fact! Excess has become one of the by-products of modern life. It seems the busier we get, the less mindful we’ve become of our personal environments and what we are bringing into them. Mindless living has taught us to accumulate possessions without really evaluating their purpose in our lives. It has also deafened us to our authentic, internal voice that knows what we really need.
Many of us are feeling the burden of all the “stuff” we thought was so important to have. Some are questioning whether the financial, emotional, and physical demands of maintaining “stuff” is really where they want to keep putting their energy. If the economic downturn (or pandemic for the revised version) has an upside, it’s given us the opportunity to “re-awaken” and re-evaluate what we really need and want to surround ourselves with going forward. In my own design practice, I’m seeing a shift, as clients are replacing the insatiable needs of the ego with the simpler ones of the authentic self.
We’ve all had the experience of being in a space that sets us totally at ease and makes us feel content, engaged, or inspired. This is what I call an “awakened space”. Awakened spaces are conceived with the most authentic needs of the occupants in mind. They are not filled with items to impress others. There are no fragments of a life lived years ago or broken promises waiting to be fixed, used, or put away. There are no piles of unmade decisions. Nor are they repositories for possessions held out of guilt or fear.
Photo from Pexals
Awakened spaces are filled with order and beauty and offer nurturing and restoration from the craziness of the world. They are places in which we live and love and enjoy the company of others. They are as individual as the people that inhabit them. For some these spaces are simple, for others, they can be more complex. Either way, having just what you really need, and knowing you have enough, is a true luxury.
Our environments need to be fluid reflections of who we are and what supports us now. When the environment and occupants are not in synch, balance, and well-being can not thrive. If they are “stuck”, we can feel as if we’re frozen in time, and missing the vital energetic flow of life.
Acknowledging discomfort and purging the things that weigh us down is the first step towards restoring balance and well-being in the home, and ultimately in our lives. The process of evaluation, decision-making, and action that starts in closets and drawers is quickly adapted to other aspects of one’s life. Energetic and physical space is cleared and there is now room for new life and opportunity to enter. We are reminded that we are the gatekeepers to what enters our lives. Suddenly we feel lighter, with no room for toxic relationships, soul-zapping jobs, or days filled with anything but living life as the best versions of ourselves.
As you go about your life in these last days of the year take a good look at what is surrounding you. Peer into that coat closet or basement. Pick up all those items sitting on your shelves. What do you see? Items that make you happy and reflect who, and where, you are in life? Or dusty memories, broken promises, and unmade decisions?
Can you still see you?
Need to update your space? Contact Kim today to schedule a consultation virtually or in person.
Read more about Kim’s services here. Email kaeinteriors@gmail.com with any questions.
