The Art of Decluttering & Weeding

“I have found, through years of practice, that people garden in order to make 
something grow; to interact with nature; to share, to find sanctuary, to heal, 
to honor the earth, to leave a mark.  Through gardening, we feel whole 
as we make our personal work of art upon our land.”
–   Julie Moir Messervy, The Inward Garden

I love gardening! I am most happy digging in the dirt, weeding and moving plants around. In these moments, I feel like an artist painting a new picture on a blank canvas. If I am lucky the plants will grow and my garden will look like a fabulous painting. In my case, a fabulous Outdoor Classroom. I keep returning to these garden practices because I love how it makes me feel and that I am part of making something grow.

During these past winter months, I have been house bound. This has given me time to look at my indoor spaces in my home. As a child, I loved moving furniture around. I was constantly secretly moving my room around. As a teacher, I did the same. Designing and redesigning classrooms  is my happy place. It’s not a surprise that my work today is based around inspiring educators in creating both indoor and outdoor learning landscapes for children and communities.

In the last two weeks I started pulling things out of closets in my home. Oh my! I am astonished how much stuff we have. It makes me feel heavy and disorganized. I started sifting, weeding, sifting and weeding. I exclaimed, “Ahhhh…I am gardening!” This got me thinking, ” Can I transform the inside of my house/classroom the same way I would with an Outdoor Classroom?”

Join me in a Curiosity Conversation:

• What if we looked at our classrooms and/or indoor spaces the same way as our outdoor gardens?
• What if we cultivated our indoor landscapes and began to weed out “stuff” ?
• What would happen if we weeded every corner of our indoor spaces?
• Would we grow?
• Would our children grow?
• Would our lives be simpler?
• Does our Indoor Environment impact our Outdoor Learning Environment?

Maria Konda notes,”the best way to choose what to keep and what to throw away is to take each item in one’s hand and ask: “Does this spark joy?” If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it. This is not only the simplest but also the most accurate yardstick by which to judge.” The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing-

Want to Join me? Take Action Now! 

• Chose an indoor space that you would like to transform.
• Or choose decluttering theme. For example: books, papers and/or clothes.
• Take a BEFORE picture.
• Start weeding & cultivate the new space.
• Take an AFTER picture.
• Post your before and after picture below.
• Share your experience. How did it make you feel?

BEFORE

AFTER