Cleaning our Minds

In this episode, Jacqui dives into the metaphor of 'cleaning as you go' with a connection to our untidy, cluttered minds.

Jacqui examines the correlation between cluttered places and spaces and how that impacts the dustier corners of the mind that we become blissfully unaware about for too long. 

"It's okay if you look around, and wonder, how did I deal with this mess for so long? I'm with you, and it's okay," Jacqui says. 

If you want to discuss this episode further or any other queries about how we can work together next year, get in touch on connect@communitymattersmedia.org

Stay tuned for the next episode as we build your capacity with Community Matters Media. Stay strong and #StayConnected

Music by Bensound.com/royalty-free-music

License code: U6EWJCDDX8XNCHJ7

Transcript

Cleaning_our_Minds_S5_Episode_02_Audio_Only_170725-1

[00:00:00] Hello, this is Jacqui here. I am so happy that you're joining me for season five, episode three. Cleaning our minds. Welcome to another episode of Community Creatives. I don't record podcasts unless I really have something to say. So I guess you've kind of gathered from my earliest seasons that that is probably the case, but here it is.

I am admitting it right here, right now. I hope you're with me. So cleaning our minds really came from a seed of a thought. When I say seed, I really invest in the seeds in my life. I'll give you some context. Let's double back. When it comes to scattering seeds, I'm all about scattering them to [00:01:00] your heart's content.

As much as possible, throwing them out like handfuls of joy into the world and hoping that all these beautiful things will grow. That is how I live my life. That is how I overcommit. That is how I do more than is humanly possible because sometimes my plants grow all at once. I dunno if anyone else could relate, but hey, that is me.

Something to say. Cleaning our minds came from the analogy of spring cleaning and how often we really get to that kind of in-depth cleaning. Now, metaphorically, I could be talking about something as necessary as cleaning the house. Sure. Okay. Spring [00:02:00] cleaning. Or whenever you do your big clean, whether that is annual, three times a year, uh, four times a year, maybe.

Maybe in time for the rent inspection. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Okay. You're not alone. That's okay. That used to be me. What I really want to assess and interpret for myself, and I'm hoping that this could help you too, is the analogy of dusting out those corners of our minds. With the same vigorous attitude, we come to cleaning as you go.

Hmm. Anyone familiar with that concept? When I'm cooking, I like to clean as I go, as much as humanly possible, because afterwards I am not gonna have the energy. I'm not gonna wanna do it and sit down and chill and do what I wanna do, right? But the worst thing [00:03:00] is something's waiting for you and you don't wanna do it.

So clean as you go. What if now, now you gotta hold on and just stay with me here. What if we were to clean as we go when it came to those corners of our mind that maybe were a little bit. Ignorant towards What about looking at our mind as that refrigerator? It's huge, right? It's embarrassing. Who moves the refrigerator to sweep under it?

To mop. Now, every now and then, I know you're with me on this. You don't need to admit it, but I know you're with me. You drop something and you're down on the floor and you're looking and you're searching and you have a light and you shine it under the fridge and go, my goodness. That is a mess. How embarrassing.

And then you find whatever it is you're looking for, and then you move on with [00:04:00] life. Ha ha. Yep. Mm-hmm. I know you're with me now. Swap that to the couch. I don't know about you, but I am always losing stuff down the side of the couch because I'm always doing a million things at once and then I need them.

Then I'm looking for them and I want it in the moment. And I found it and I saw the dust and I was like, oh yeah, okay. Uh, that bothered me in the moment. And then it's gone. I cannot be the only one. So what if we saw those dusty corners of our mind right there? And I'm just suggesting maybe we pick up a broom.

Ah, what if we got the vacuum out? Hmm. What if we filled the bucket and got the washcloth and got to work? Did what needed to be done? Hmm. Yeah. I don't know about you, but that is something I'm sitting with. So that is a challenge for me, [00:05:00] but it's a good one, you know? I think looking at the room around you, I don't know where, where you're listening.

Um, the car, I know there's lots of things I'm ignorant about in the car. I am, well meaning I want a nice orderly car, but then you get home and you close the door and you're just like, yep, it's done. He has a room like that in their house, a drawer, a cupboard. I know you're with me. It's okay. You can forgive yourself for all the things that I know you're feeling guilty about.

Let them go and allow yourself to be free from the guilt, free from the clutter, because we know that clutter around us represents a cluttered mind, and it's okay if we find ourselves in that spot. It's okay. Sometimes the clutter builds up in the tiny little corners that nobody sees sometimes. We don't even allow ourselves to see.

We shut the door. We [00:06:00] forget about it. Blissfully unaware until the time comes that everything spirals out of control. You look around and say, Hey, how did I deal with this mess for so damn long again? It's okay. I have to forgive myself, and I'm extending that grace to you too. I forgive you, and it's okay.

Even if you don't forgive yourself yet, you'll get there. Trust that you can find the cleaning stuff when you need it. When we start doing this regularly, we start setting ourselves up for success. We don't snowball and get overwhelmed by all the things. Oh my gosh, the things. I get it. I'm always overwhelmed by all the things.

I get it. I'm with you. Let's do this together. Take a breath. Whew. Look around. And when I say look around, I looked around at the room. No, look around within you. In your mind. You've got this. You [00:07:00] will be okay. We can do this regularly. I know we can. Let's work together and we are for you. Let's get cleaning guys.