Spring Cleaning

We are into April now, Spring Time, to be sure! Everything is about to happen, and it’s great. Extra daylight, little green things popping through the dark muck left from winter. That usually brings the urge to clean house after a long dark period. Even I get that way, even if I never actually do it. Haha.

A small swing away from the topic, but it should come together in a minute. When you meet someone new, do you often pick up a vibe from them? Like good or bad, but you know right away there is something there, that caught your attention? It doesn’t happen with everyone you meet, just certain people that put forward a strong presence. I met a person, a few years back who gave me that vibe, in the bad way. It wasn’t something super obvious, just a persona that hit me wrong, and I knew instinctively to keep a good arm’s length between us. It was a workplace setting, and it was not possible to completely avoid each other, but I could keep it minimal most of the time.

Things go along for stretches, and time moves quickly from season to season. Winter to spring seems to take forever, but when it changes, it gets bright and hard to accept the dark things that stick around. That newly lengthened light has a way of rooting out the nasty stuff. When you think you are the only one that notices something, but slowly find out others see it too, that brings more confidence in what you already knew.

Enough being cryptic. We had a little spring cleaning this week, and the weight of that long cold winter definitely lifted immediately. It was like a good smudge with sage branches. That odd, very odd, vibe got lifted up and out, and the air became breathable again. I have a few moments here and there where I feel bad for my part in it. I brought the toxic nature of the situation to the attention of some decision makers, a while back. They listened, and then set about watching for the signs of spring. Meanwhile, those of us that had commiserated through the winter about it, waited. I will say, there was definitely a fraternity that grew out of it, but I do wish it hadn’t needed to have grown that way.

Believe me, I am not perfect in my job or at life. We all have some faults in our methodology, but I try to be a positive person, who lifts others up. Making people laugh and feel good is a big part of being me. My own self doubt comes in when I feel that vibe about someone and think, am I the only one who sees this? Is it me that is being toxic? Nobody else seems to notice, so am I just being the mean girl? But I do know in this case, a few others felt it, but didn’t say a lot, at least for a while. It just took a while for the others to confirm for me what I already knew, deep inside. I have been through that before, and the validation came along too, but it doesn’t really feel “good” to be right about a person being toxic.

The Spring Clean will bring some new opportunities to some people that need a fresh start to a new season in their lives, so that is a good thing, ultimately. It’s all a cycle, and being able to see the little changes can help you get excited for all the beautiful flowers and things when they really bloom. I learn more and more as I get older to trust that instinct when someone gives that strange vibe, which can be good vibes too, not everyone gives the dark feel. A bright light shines too when you need it. So I harbored that feeling for a while, but when it was time, I honored that feeling, and didn’t doubt myself.

The only real question that remains is this: Will I actually get my REAL Spring Cleaning done this year? Don’t hold your breath. Ha Ha!!! Enjoy what I hope will be a beautiful April weekend!!