Feng Shui Friday:Sometimes You Have to Embrace The Chaos

My eldest came home from college for the summer. With him came mounds and mounds of stuff. Stuff that was dumped in the kitchen, dining room and laundry room. Dirty laundry practically filled the entire laundry room and walking through the dining room required obstacle course finesse.

I felt like a tsunami had hit my organized, neat home and I wanted it picked up. NOW.

Because I wanted it to be picked up NOW, I decided it was my job to do it.

Until said eldest said, "Sorry about all the laundry mom."

Then I stopped in my tracks and with a smile responded, "No need to apologize.  I am not the one who is going to do it all."

I then tidied my office and my bedroom and decided to live with the chaos in the rest of the house while everything gets back into a groove.

It wasn't just about the stuff. The stuff everywhere meant a transition and transitions take a few days. Moving back home after seven months at school is a process. Routines have to be re established and boundaries need to be figured out. It can get messy.

We can't rush through transitions. We have to allow the mess and take control over areas that we can (i.e. my cleaning my office and bedroom). I could have put everything away myself and the result would have been a resentful exhausted mom. Instead I let my son figure out where everything was going to go and where he wanted to store the things he didn't need. I offered help as did his siblings but the process held more meaning for all of us when he took charge.

In a few weeks high school will be out and  there will be another mini tsunami as we transition from the school year to summer. I will keep my bedroom and office clean and embrace the chaos.