Spring Has Sprung. It’s Time to Fling & Flung

It’s here. Finally. And with spring, comes the promise of not having to dig out your winter coat “one more time.” The first real sign of spring is leaves on the trees. Watching color reappear on dull, gray branches is one of the reasons we’re able to tough out the winter. But in order for the buds to do their thing, they need room to grow. Which is what fall was all about. Mother Nature got rid of the old, dull leaves. Like a pair of sneakers whose treads are worn out, we too, must say, “buh bye” and make room in our closet for a new pair.

But Mother Nature never rests. She, like many of us, has spring-cleaning down to a science. As the grime from winter is washed away by spring rains, the warmer weather beckons us to throw open the windows and let out the stale air from a winter’s hibernation. Yet stuffy air isn’t the only thing we purge. Along with open windows, we open cabinets, closets and garages and get rid of stuff we haven’t used in ages. Some call it a Spring Fling. My dad calls it T.S.O., “Throwing S*** Out,” because when it comes down to it, that’s exactly what you should be doing.

And if the spring breeze isn’t motivation enough, I play music. Lately it’s Pharrell’s song Happy that gets me moving. And as he sings, “Like a room without a roof,” I sing, “Like a room where I can move,” since by getting rid of stuff I’m doing just that.

Whether you live in a bustling city or in the middle of the country, it’s crucial your home brings comfort. Look around. Are there items that can be tossed, donated, put away? Absolutely. After an endless winter, stuff collects. No need to beat yourself up about it. Just open a window, put on some music that makes you feel like moving, and then, like my dad says, get busy “TSO!”