I have always loved watching nature documentaries as it never ceases to amaze me how innately in tune animals live with the land, the weather and with one another. Recently I watched a documentary of a lion hunt where the level of coordination and organisation between the lions inspired me to look at my own orderliness, or as it happened, lack thereof.
In the documentary, three lions teamed up to hunt down a zebra drinking at a water hole. They organised themselves into a triangular arrangement, surrounding the zebra, and waited. For many hours the lions shifted their positions subtly and methodically, communicating with each other silently.
They appeared to be very well ordered and disciplined in how they worked as a group.
Eventually, when the timing was just right, one of the lions pounced and they got their dinner. It seemed to me their success depended on their ability to carry out the hunt with a high degree of order and precision. Without that, there was no guarantee of success, therefore no food, and therefore no more lions.
I decided to ponder on the level of order and structure I have had throughout my life.
I realised that growing up, my bedroom was always a mess. I had a chair in the corner that became a dumping pile for clothes not clean enough to return to the cupboard, but not yet dirty enough to put in the laundry. My wardrobe was also a mess, stuffed with clothes and shoes. Nothing was neat and tidy; I had no discipline in putting things where they should go.
I still seemed to know where everything was though, so I prided myself on living in organised chaos. But honestly, I felt quite messy, muddled and busy whenever I was in my room. I actually did love having a tidy room, when everything fitted into my drawers and cupboards, and I loved being able to see straight away where everything was.
Fortunately, every few months I was ordered by my parents to clean up my room. We always argued about it, but in the end I would spend half a day tidying it up.
I remember how wonderful and refreshing a tidy, orderly room felt, and I too felt open and clear in my thinking.
In those moments, I knew that the bravado at living with ‘organised chaos’ was rubbish and my parents knew I knew it too! I eventually felt grateful for being given the opportunity to feel how lovely tidiness, organisation and order are, instead of mess, chaos and clutter.
So what else happens when I am living an ordered life?
- My life flows
- My emotions feel stable and in balance
- There is less that can surprise me (surprises take away my steadiness)
- I am truly comforted because my surroundings support me
- I feel no anxiety – the more organised and ready I am, the more equipped I feel to handle what life brings.
As an adult now with my own house, I know what it feels like when I clean out the linen cupboard, pantry, shoe rack, cutlery draw, shed, desk, or weed the garden. It feels amazing, and I feel 12 feet tall!
I have discovered that it is actually not hard to keep it this way, it just takes commitment and discipline to live like this, founded simply upon feeling how lovely it feels to be in a tidy and organised home.
I have come to realise that I am disturbed by disharmony, just like the lions, and that I like organising my home, choosing order over complexity.
I continue to be inspired and grateful to Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine for reminding me how to live simply with order in my life.
By Suzanne Anderssen, Brisbane
Further Reading:
Clearing Out the Clutter – The Room at the Back of the House
Simplicity
De-cluttering my Flat and Life: A Forever Deepening Amazingness
The Truth about Serge Benhayon 
I totally understand about order. Growing up I used to become distressed with dis-order but I was the biggest culprit of its creator!
I do know that when things are in precision and in order, the rippling effect is truly felt from all angles. It is hard to ignore. I have learnt over the years that this is so important for me to have so this flows into life and everything else I am a part of. What a difference when we make certain tweaks and introduce something as simple as order, the place feels so much different.
There is a Divine order in Nature reflecting us the wisdom we can access. I enjoyed reading how we can bring such greatness in our daily life in a very practical way. The feeling of steadyness and clarity within ourselves is the confirmation of that we are designed to live insync with this natural flow of life.
The reflections of nature are indeed a ‘God send’ and are messages that I call the Magic of God communicating to us – either in ways to support us with our learnings, or to confirm us in how we live.
Nature does offer us beautiful reflections, in terms of the example here with Lions and how they work together and also the precision and location they claim. I have seen strong reflections from nature in studying dogs, and wolves, baboons and bees and ants…all have amazing structures and hierarchies of how they work together. Each species has a message or a reflection to us to learn from. Bees communicate to each other by the vibration of their wings and the angle of the flight path – in other words every movement they make has a purpose. This too is something for us to learn from and refine in our movements and way of living.
Humans can be very disorderly and we can allow, observe and learn so much from a simple as God’s creature as a bee, that don’t communicate by words. There is more to vibration that speaks louder than a barking human…
Suzanne – thank you for a wonderful sharing and one that I too can relate to! Knowing where my things are, finding them quickly and efficiently and having them ready to be used is a super supportive way to live on a day to day basis. And I too can feel the ‘lift’ that happens when we clear out clutter or get rid of things that we no longer use or just simply need to organise things better or differently.
Commitment and discipline are tools that support us to maintain order, ‘I have discovered that it is actually not hard to keep it this way, it just takes commitment and discipline to live like this, founded simply upon feeling how lovely it feels to be in a tidy and organised home.’
I love how the animal kingdom is just so simple and spontaneous. Everything that happens there seems so in sync with everything else yet needs no pre-arrangement or rehearsing, it does not seem to need a decision to execute a movement. Whereas we humans seem to have completely fallen for complexity and we need meetings in order to have a meeting, and these days it seems impossible to just ring up someone without threads of emails asking when it would be a good time to call. I am just wondering – maybe we do not have to be organised in order to have an order. There already is an order. Maybe all it takes is an awareness to respond.
It’s a great point Alison and it’s reminded me that the order or disorder I live affects everyone everywhere because of the energetic quality and imprint it creates.
What I appreciate about this blog is that it’s written as an exploration of how things feel, and that there is an honesty we can come to about how chaos and disorder feels and affects our lives, and a truth to the order and simplicity and how this holds us to be more of ourselves and to enjoy life. It’s not about being strict or rigid with cleaning, or cleaning to keep up appearances, it’s from a relationship with our body that knows the truth about life.
We know how it feels when we have order, ‘I know what it feels like when I clean out the linen cupboard, pantry, shoe rack, cutlery draw, shed, desk, or weed the garden. It feels amazing’. It does feel amazing.
Restoring order in one area of our life invites us to bring order in other areas of the way we choose to live.
It is true when I am organised and ready, when there is order there is no need to feel anxious. Order gives us a great foundation to handle life and to not go in overwhelm or distraction because of the disharmony we feel.
Reading this I was reflecting on the areas where there is dis-order in my life, this begins to eventually effect the order I do have in certain areas – thank you for reminding me of the importance and magic that order offers us.
If I have felt a disturbance in my body due to a pile of clothes or something that needs to be put away, it’s very hard to walk out of the room and just leave it. Especially, as I know that it will be waiting for me when I get home.
Recently someone shared with me how she takes care for her home in a way that she can come back to her home to be supported and can expand in her home with what she has learned throughout the day. So now before I leave my house I look around to feel whether my house is ready to receive a lighter version of me when I come back home.
I love what you share Annelies, I will choose this too, ‘back to her home to be supported and can expand in her home with what she has learned throughout the day. So now before I leave my house I look around to feel whether my house is ready to receive a lighter version of me when I come back home.’
Love the inspiration offered here in which I can feel how important it is to be aware of our purpose or our commitment to purpose. I have felt that when we live with purpose there is never a question of time, only knowing of what is needed next or what the next move is. With this commitment to purpose there is then naturally an order that results which is in harmony and in line with the quality of vibration of the purpose we have surrendered to. I can see where there is more for me to commit to a greater purpose therefore bringing more natural order into my life. Thank you for this gorgeous reminder Suzanne.
These days I absolutely love harmony but it was not something I was always consciously aware of. Really, we are all disturbed by disharmony whether we are consciously aware of it or not, because harmony is our natural way. However, sometimes we are not comfortable with our natural way and seek out distractions and disharmony – this can be seen clearly with people who pick a fight or do things to create a conflict and there are infinite other more subtle ways to create disharmony. Basically any movement that is not soulful / loving.
I love harmony, disharmony is disturbing, ‘I have come to realise that I am disturbed by disharmony, just like the lions, and that I like organising my home, choosing order over complexity.’
Funnily enough it also takes commitment to not live in an orderly way – it is a commitment to being messy because really order is natural for us.
Personal order is a reflection of the order of the universe.
True teamwork is rare in our workplaces because competition and jealousy are rife and they pollute our natural tendency to work in harmony. The lions are a beautiful example and reminder of order and precision that is also within us, we can choose to allow these qualities out or not. When we do, then we can feel the joy in true teamwork and things get done with purpose and harmony.
When our house is untidy, disorderly and unkept, we can feel the disharmony in the space as we enter. This is often a reflection of how we feel within. I notice the more I de-clutter and discard things in my body that doesn’t support, I tend to also do the same with the space around me. It is so interesting to observe how naturally I am very orderly, organised and like to put things back in its place but when I am not myself, things start to pile up very quickly. So, how we feel about ourselves affects the space we live in, everything is closely related and everything affects everything.
It is important to appreciate how great it feels to de-clutter and have an order to our homes. There is always a tension in me when i know a space needs simplicity and a clear out.
Order may come from discipline, but still, discipline, is something we (another) impose upon ourselves. It is a force that forces us to go this or that way. The universe does not operate based on discipline.
I have discovered having a sense of order around you is very different from obsessive control. There is much more support and much less control. There is also an understanding of the support it brings and therefore more of a willingness to be responsible for keeping that order up and completing projects as they present.
Thank you Lucy – this is a great point for the purpose of the organisation is what holds its energy. So if we have a control on our surroundings due to anxiety or needing it to be organised so that we can feel better, then this is a dependency and not a true support. Whilst having things practically set up and supportive and working to have things in order comes from a very different approach and will support us in a completely different way.
“… choosing order over complexity” and life flows with simplicity, which gives space for so much more.
And, simplicity and order in the space we occupy support us to expand and connect to the spaciousness within and around us. What is within affects what is outside of us and vice versa.
Being ordered not only supports yourself it supports all around you.
Living simply and in order is very supportive to our wellbeing.
Nature is indeed a great reflection and often very playful too.
It used to be a bit chicken and egg for me in relation to having things in order for I would feel terrible if they were out of order and also sometimes they would get out of order because I felt terrible. These days generally I feel quite solid and great and things stay in order. If things to start to stray and go into disarray that is a good wakeup call that there is something I need to look at in my life as I must have strayed!
Yes, I quite agree, Nicola, when things around me become disorganised it is a great reflection as to what is happening in my life and within myself.
The way we care for our space can support us to feel more ourselves and more able to connect to the lovely stillness from within. So it is worthwhile to take the time to constantly keep our space, clean, clear, tidy and organised because I find the quality of our space reflects to us how we are truly feeling inside and it can be either confirming or confronting.
“I have discovered that it is actually not hard to keep it this way, it just takes commitment and discipline to live like this” – this is very true. It is just in that moment of absence we let that slip just a little bit and that’s enough for the rest follows.
I love nothing more than walking into a home that is clear and organised, one that is not done by control but by love for order and clarity. The support this offer ourselves and others is enormous.
Same here Kim and I notice the difference when I walk into a space that has been cared for with love. My body immediately registers this and I love the quality this offers and this supports me to be more myself.
That’s a great point Kim and Chan because as always it all comes back to energy. You can have a so called perfect room that feels sterile, controlled and loveless and perhaps one that is not quite so perfect but you can feel the love.
Also we are all different so some people might like a spotless desk with no papers or clutter on it and that is order for them, whereas others might have all sorts of papers on their desk but they know where everything is and there is an order to it for them.
Yes and it can definitely be felt. At some point we will consider the truth that everything is energy and the space we live in holds an imprint that can be felt not just seen.
One of the worst things for me with a lack of organisation in the home is feeling unsupported when I need something (often under a time pressure), and I can’t find it easily. It feels so very self caring and self loving to have things organised so I am supported in whatever situation presents.
There’s nothing like the feeling of cleaning and tidying an area in the home that has been asking for you pay attention to it – very satisfying.
I agree Suzanne, I love the feeling when my home is ordered and de-cluttered, you feel lighter, more spacious and have more energy to move forward.
The simplest way to keep order is to maintain it daily; and also if I do it well in some area of my life I can apply that same design to other areas of my life. It is a way of ordering everything into a way that is working.
I love simplicity, and I love lots of space and light in my home and surroundings. Briefly I was in a house the other day which was full of clutter and I felt uncomfortable, just feeling the space constricted and thus appreciating that I have invested much time in decluttering and letting go of so much that I did not need.
If we have difficulty with making decisions, the best remedy is to open our cupboards and start cleaning and clearing. In bringing more order, more space is created, which results in more clarity, thus making it easier to make decisions. It all makes sense
You can clearly see from your blog Suzanne that true order is so super simple and so super supportive that it is a complete choice and creation to live with the complexity of messiness and the orderedness of dis-order in our lives.
When we have order, it brings a flow and simplicity to our day.
When we bring order to our surroundings we are in tune with the order of the Universe.
Chaos is a source of identification and individualization. After all, one person’s chaos is different from another person’s. It is like lions marking their territory. The creation of a chaos takes a lot of effort and managing it too. Chaos requires a body that makes as if chaos were not there, a body that learns to numb itself, that is why it can never provide the foundations you need to truly support you in life
‘ I know what it feels like when I clean out the linen cupboard, pantry, shoe rack, cutlery draw, shed, desk, or weed the garden. It feels amazing, and I feel 12 feet tall!’ So True Suzanne – totally powerful.
We too are innately attuned to the divine order of the universe and its natural flow. Our every part of our body is made up of universal components, and our Soul the spark of God. It is only that we resist surrendering to being moved by the impulse of our divine Will, as when we do we discover there is a greater freedom to be and express all that we naturally are and are intrinsically connected to.
Interesting that you knew how wonderful the tidy, ordered room felt and yet rebelled against keeping it that way. Interesting to observe why we do that and what it is we get out of the mess or issues we create?
It seems that lions had order, precision and discipline as you said because if any had been tempted to jump earlier the result might have been quite different. Beautiful to feel the value of all these qualities.
I find order definitely keeps things simple on many levels. It is easy to feel the flow in my day when I have established a natural order to things.
Pride comes before the fall just ask the Zebra. So organised life needs to eliminate anything that keeps us from being blinded to the truth of what goes on around us, and then everything is understood towards a true purpose, which develops awareness.
I love harmony and order to the extent that I feel decidedly unsettled if they are not present, ‘I have come to realise that I am disturbed by disharmony, just like the lions, and that I like organising my home, choosing order over complexity.’
If only we weren´t blinding ourselves from seeing the order that is consistently at work we happily would obey to it as it is pure harmony and grace. But obviously we want something else instead and complexity and complication are providing it.
Choosing order is choosing simplicity and vice versa. I should remind myself more often of this very simple and relevant truth, especially when the seeming complexity of life tends to overwhelm me because I buy into it and or create it. So back to basics first before dealing with life.
We are part of the universe and a universal order so how could we not feel amazing, spacious and equipped to handle what life bring when we live in a way that honours this order.
Interesting though that when we choose order we simply say yes to what naturally is. Only when we disturb the order we experience complication and complexity as we create a version or flow of life that otherwise wouldn´t exist in the first place. Thus choosing order means tune in again and live with the flow of life.
Nature certainly is one of our best teachers. This blog had me thinking of so many animals and the precision they use when constructing their homes. Birds travel far and wide to make their nest exactly as they want it. Humans can also travel far and wide bringing together the things they want to have in their homes, so it definitely feels loving to have the order that supports us to feel at ease in our bodies because of the way we choose to care for our belongings. Mess is definitely a signpost that we are out of kilter with ourselves in some way.
It is amazing how we can override what we love the feel of, have you ever wondered why do we fight this, what really is at play here? ‘I actually did love having a tidy room, when everything fitted into my drawers and cupboards, and I loved being able to see straight away where everything was.’ I love order too.
Order is one of my favourite words. I love it, so when things in my home are out of order, it really does unsettle me. Recently I have spent time ordering my computer files and emails. That was a job I had not considered before a friend mentioned that she had done hers. Now when I sit at my computer there is a different feel. Definitely lighter.
There’s nothing like an organised home or a clean home for that matter, but what I have come to understand and appreciate more these days is the energy in which we clean our homes is paramount to how spacious it feels. I have felt in the past that even though a space may be cleared and tidy it can still feel cold and lifeless (best way to describe it), whereas when we lovingly clean and appreciate the space and ourselves, the space feels so different and inviting.
I so agree with what you have shared, Julie. I often find myself humming or singing to the rhythm of the vacuum, washing machine or dishwasher. The time seems to fly as I complete whatever cleaning I am doing and afterwards the room/house seems to hold a greater warmth and sparkle whenever I enter it.
It took me a long time to acknowledge how much I love and appreciate a clean and ordered space, so much so that now the tiniest bit of disregard I give to something I know needs attending to is felt and it is not long and I simply have to deal with what is there to be done.
What a great blog. You remind me that order is found in the way we move and in the way we arrange the objects that surround us.
The care and order I bring to my home absolutely reflects in my everyday. The sense of completeness and order it brings Grace to all I do in my day.
The relationship between how we live and move in our lives is a great reflector of what is within and when we have order and clear space in our external life there is order and space that emanates within us also.
Before I came across Universal Medicine, I would have never connected the dots and understood that the order in my house is reflecting my body and that it has an affect on my health, as well as my thoughts and my emotions.
Such a beautiful sharing Suzanne on the power and simplicity that order brings to our homes and life, living any other way creates complication and delay and we can feel quite heavy and drained with this.
Order is naturally ours, as there is order in the entire universe.
I notice how supported I feel when I know where everything is and it’s well organised, when it’s disorganised I feel quite anxious and it’s draining trying to find what I need. Keeping things organised, simple and tidy is definitely another way we can express our love for ourselves and others.
The quality and order we live in is a direct reflection of the quality and order we have established in ourselves.
Beautiful how you have used the reflection of nature to organise your home, when we have order we have a natural flow, which supports us throughout the day.
I am usually very organized and tidy, but my room right now is showing the opposite and it hurts to feel how much disregard I have allowed in.
I love the spaciousness we feel in our bodies when we clear out our mess and replace it with order.
Same here Fiona. And also when we feel that a task like cleaning the decks or clearing cobwebs from the outside of the house can have such a huge effect.
‘I feel no anxiety – the more organised and ready I am, the more equipped I feel to handle what life brings.’ I love this link between feeling anxiety when our environment is disordered. I’d never wanted to consider how I create my own anxiousness and stress by living in organised chaos but how ridiculous is that – of course I do, I just don’t want to see it.
You have really got me considering just how important order is in our lives, I wouldn’t say I’m messy but I also would not say that my whole life is in order – I’m feeling an experiment coming on – exactly how much does order effect our lives?
I used to pride myself on organised chaos…I identified with it, claiming that when things were orderly I could never find anything. Yep, I’ve since realised that that’s a load of rubbish…and the dis-order I was living in just helped me to maintain a level of anxiousness that allowed me to always be on the go and never ever feel the need to stop. Well…naturally that all came crashing down eventually. I’m so grateful for finally realising that there is another way to do life!
If we go from organised chaos to then clearing out, tidying and organising, it is not hard to keep it this way mainly because the room or our house always feels amazing when we bring harmony to it.
It does take commitment and discipline to live like this but as you have discovered, totally worth it. It’s funny how sometimes we don’t realize how disturbed we are by disharmony until we bring the harmony back.
This is ringing so true for me. Even when people stay, during and after, I love going round my house tidying and supporting the order to remain. I feel so much clearer too. Keeping things tidy limits chaos and really is so supportive.
Order allows a consistency and precision that is very supportive not only for our daily lives but for the world around us.
I agree Suzanne it is not hard to keep order once you have established it. It is only a matter of completing every task and returning things to their rightful place.
If we are honest we are all disturbed by disharmony, but when we are living in chaos and unorganised, this is what we have chosen, so we over-ride that feeling to the extent that we become blind to the disorder in our homes, as it becomes the normal.
I remember how wonderful and refreshing a tidy, orderly room felt, and I too felt open and clear in my thinking. They do say, ‘clear out the clutter in your house, clear out the clutter in your head’! I can feel how supportive it is for my day ahead with a foundation of a clean, organised and ordered house. It is super supportive.
I can also remember how much I loved having my bedroom re-arranged when I was a young girl. There were only so many ways my bed and furniture could be moved but it always brought a big smile to my face.
It takes a lot of energy to create disorder in a world that is based on order and harmony. There is a character in the Peanuts comic strip which featured the famous ‘snoopy’ who was called Linus. Linus was often pictured with a dust cloud above his head. This always represented to me the chaos and disorder that he lived in that then travelled around with him everywhere he went. It always spoke to me of the fact that everything we choose is being carried around with us, even if it can’t be seen.
‘It takes a lot of energy to create disorder in a world that is based on order and harmony.’ I have never looked at the disorder I live with like that but of course as it’s a constant fight against what is true.
Thank you Suzanne for sharing the joy and expansiveness that comes from choosing to live in order over the distraction, complexity and constrictions that come from living in dis-order. I too have come to realise that there is a natural order to life and we are inescapably part of this. So we choose to live in accordance to this rhythm, there is far greater freedom to explore a deeper in connection to ourselves and live the ‘more’ of who we are.
Having just spent most of the day bringing a new level of order to our home I completely agree!
Life really does flow Suzanne when we organise our homes. I have not been great at this in the past but am improving through the inspiration of Universal Medicine and Serge and now your sharing. I agree that not being organised can cause anxiety when we can’t find something or feel disorganised in our thinking.
‘I feel no anxiety – the more organised and ready I am, the more equipped I feel to handle what life brings.’ Recognising just how much constant low level anxiety affected my life has made a massive difference to the quality of my life and my commitment to organising my home really supports me with this.
I spent many years living in organised chaos as a distraction from feeling the pain of separation from myself and others. I am gradually bringing more and more order to my home and loving how supportive it feels.
Order can bring simplicity to ones life like no other!
True order feels amazing, like a gift from heaven. I know when I have spent time ordering my rooms, offices and all spaces, the energy and space feels amazing. For me its really about bringing the discipline to keeping it in order all of the time, something I am working on.
Suzanne this article really resonates with me. When I tidy up and sort the accumulated disorder that I leave around to be dealt with later I always feel a clarity and freedom within me as it inspires me to take equal responsibility for any issues I have left hanging around.
True order is a gift from heaven and done in love it will support us in stepping the stairways back again.
Order is one of those things that gives greater allowance for space and appreciation
I find that the tidiness of my home is a direct reflection of my level of commitment to myself and life. When it is messy I hate it but there are times when I find it pretty difficult to do anything about. Then I know I’ve really lost the plot and its time to make some very different choices. A tidy, harmonious home on the other hand, feels supportive and magical.
Suzanne, I love that feeling of tidying up and everything in it’s place and you’re right I am more easily unbalanced when I don’t have that support behind me. So more decluttering is now called for, I can feel the expansiveness it offers.
It’s so true Suzanne. I too feel wonderfully refreshed after a good tidy up and or clean out and thoroughly enjoy the feeling of order and space that comes from doing it – it literally does clear your head and thought processes. I am also realising that if this how great we feel after cleaning up our home or workplace then applying this same principle of cleaning out and letting go of our old patterns and emotional hurts would work the same way and lighten the load of unnecessary issues we carry around with us too.
Harmony is our environment is very powerful, as is disharmony. But it is something that exists within us that is reflected in our envrionment and that we can express there. The mess in my room when I was growing up was revealling of how I was feeling inside.
Thank you Suzanne for your blog, it is a reminder to me of how much I love order and simplicity in my life. I have had redecorating going on in my home for a period of time which has made me feel unsettled, it is only a matter of time when I can restore order out of the chaos.
“I have come to realise that I am disturbed by disharmony, just like the lions, and that I like organising my home, choosing order over complexity.” I agree Suzanne – I’d choose order and simplicity over complexity every time and this is a timely read as I’m moving into my home soon and it’s going to be a great opportunity to clear out what no longer belongs and set it up in a way that feels spacious and simple and truly supportive.
‘I have discovered that it is actually not hard to keep it this way, it just takes commitment and discipline to live like this, founded simply upon feeling how lovely it feels to be in a tidy and organised home.’ The spaciousness that has come in my life from developing detail and order is so freeing, and the feeling of forever ‘chasing my tail’ has disappeared, as the day feels complete.
I love the simplicity and harmony felt in the home when I choose order, and the times when I drop the ball and the house becomes untidy or messy I find it harder to be steady and clear – choosing order is a great way to support ourselves and everyone else in the home.
Nature is a great leader and an inspirational teacher in what ever subject you need a lesson on. I do function better in order, simplicity, and things in alignment and beauty. There is a routine and structure with timely respect to my way of life. These all help to not restrict, but free me.
Suzanne, I can really relate to this. When I am a little chaotic in my thoughts I find that when i tidy up a part of my environment it is very settling for me as it brings me back to me. I cannot live in chaos and clutter now -I love simplicity and order.
What I appreciate most about your article Suzanne is how you were able to make changes in your life from the simplicity of what nature has to offer. I see nature as an awesome learning opportunity from god
Order over complexity any day. The state of our home is a reflection of our own steadiness and stillness so keeping it tidy, clear and organised is just another one of life’s ways of giving us feedback on how we’re living on a daily basis. Once we have felt how it is to live in complexity and chaos by comparison, from there it’s then our very own choice how, when and whether we deploy the commitment and discipline needed to maintain a quality of orderliness and tidiness that truly supports us.
I know for me in the past my observations of my teenage children was that when they were in their heads with study be it school or uni pressure and expectations and their busy chaotic social lives their environments, their bathroom, bedroom and their cars reflected the way they were feeling. If I was to ask them to clean up during this time it just didn’t happen, if I cleaned up for them the mess was recreated very quickly. At the end of each term or semester once the pressure of exams and study lifted they naturally felt the relief and relaxed and re connected with their bodies they automatically couldn’t stand the chaos of their own environment and would clean it up.
I love it when an order gets organically formed in response to what the moment is called for. When they get cemented as the definitive orders or rules as they often end up being in our society they feel constrictive and limiting and many of us react against them, but what I feel is that if each and every one of us was capable of being responsible consistently and constantly there probably wouldn’t have to be any need for enforced orders.
When I see mess around me, it feels like I am surrounded by the residue of what has not been completed from yesterday, last month, a moment ago – which makes sense how it would affect the way I feel. This definitely feels like an area I would like to bring more refinement. Thank you for the inspiration, Suzanne.
Ive recently realised how much disorder I’ve been living with and how living like this creates disharmony. In realising this I’ve found out how beautiful it feels to live an ordered life.
Thank you Suzanne for sharing, I find if I don’t take care of things at the time, like putting things away when I have finished with them, or stopping for a moment to pull out the couple of weeds I see in the garden as I walk by, life starts to become out of order and this messiness leaves me feeling very unsettled in my self. When order is again restored I feel a sense of ease fullness and spaciousness around my home and within me.
Taking time to declutter and keep our places in order is us committing to life and saying yes to being more of who we are.
I like the precision you make here Katie re the tidyness and order of our home supporting us both in our day and night – this is very true
I love how cleaning out our spaces provides us with more opportunities for growth and clarity. Having recently cleaned out our study to see how amazing it is to have a clear and clean place to work feels awesome.
This is the second blog I have read this morning about clearing clutter out and having more order in the home, I can feel how this is something I am being supported to change in my home as well. I agree Suzanne when the home is not in order it can feel disharmonious and brings in complications – time to bring more order and enjoy the spaciousness and clarity that this brings.
A couple of nights ago I decided to clear away almost everything of my kitchen work top, leaving just the bare minimum and put away everything off that had accumulated on other surfaces. I felt so much lighter and content with how the space then felt that I’m going to tackle more this weekend.
Bringing order into my daily living is part of being responsible for myself and others alike.
Growing up I could never understand why my now deceased mother would have us moving the furniture in the living room a couple of times a year, and then a couple of weeks later it would go back to where it was originally. Now it makes sense that it was the feeling of clarity that came with the deep clean which she could feel and felt was missing in her life. I now have the same appreciation for when furniture is pulled away from it’s usual position, so that the space can be cleaned thoroughly and the furniture replaced.
I love cleaning when I am in connection with myself. The quality of how an area feels once you have done it in this way, brings such clarity to everything. It just feels beautiful. Its like a welcome invitation to our hearts.
Bringing order, is like bringing rhythm, and with the rhythm comes balance and harmony and reconnection, and yes I find this is essential as well for a harmonious life.
The world can impose on a person, that to be consistent, ordered, organised and committed to the way one lives, run’s their home and life is perfectionistic and unhealthy, What is important to me is to stay connected to is the quality of being I am in as I live and bring this ordered way of living to each moment and allow it to magnify and expand into every moment of my being. This can be carried over to the how and when I choose to start and finish the day, what Is eaten and how it is prepared, interactions with others – everything is a reflection and so bringing this to the whole of our lives and not allowing ‘Parts’ or ‘areas’ to develop where one one moment one is clear, ordered and flowing and the next is in chaos. To even consider the tiniest transitions from one moment or way into the next supports the ‘whole’. Returning to this blog has allowed space to deepen and bring more awareness to what is possible in the livingness of our lives.
Being tidy and organised at home is, I agree Suzanne, very supportive and harmonious.
Your blog is a gentle reminder for me to not become obsessive or controlling as to how I feel the house should be, very revealing!!
Yes I had that piled high chair with numerous clothes on, not dirty enough to wash again yet not clean enough to put away. Just another excuse to not fold, replace and hang up. A ‘I’ll do it another day’ opt out. Just an excuse which then grows and expands into my everyday living. Reading this today Suzanne I still have that chair and yes sometimes piled with clothes but, on the clear days, when all folded and put in their place there is certainly more flow, and clarity to my day. Now to look into my wardrobe. That chair will always serve as a reminder of where I am at as disorder does bring about disharmony.
Whilst I’ve read this post before, I’m still shocked at how identical my life has been to yours Suzanne. I did exactly the same thing growing up, and man did I pride myself on knowing where everything was. I’d even argue that when things were in order, I couldn’t find anything. It’s taken for me to be in my 30’s before really committing to order. I’ve always been an organised person, but always in a world of chaos, hence my anxiety has always driven the organisation rather than it coming from a place of calm. I love being in a neat and tidy space, it feels sooo much more open. It requires some discipline for me however, as the urge to want to be lazy and not put stuff away is often there.
I too get effected by disharmony and it is lovely now to create an orderly home/life but much more in support of me and those around me than out of a need or drive “to look good”.
When my space is ordered and tidy, I am not trying to escape from it and be somewhere else in my mind, I love being present in that space.
Thank you Suzanne for offering me a ‘parental prompt’ to bring order to my surroundings. I know how lovely it feels when all is in its place but I have a habit of allowing ‘stuff’ to accumulate waiting for my attention and this causes a constant tension that my ‘stuff’ needs dealing with.
Thank you Suzanne, I enjoyed reading your article, I love order and having everything in its place, it gives me a sense of spaciousness and harmony, the times when things get busy and things become untidy I can feel an agitation and sense of un rest. I am about to face my cupboard that needs to be put in order once again.
Very interesting to read your blog whilst I am in the middle of a reconstruction / make over of my kitchen and the whole floor where I live. For three weeks I am living in a mess so to speak. Furniture and other stuff piled up in other rooms. What happened? Two things. I made a new order within the disorder. A new way of living with the essential things around be. A sort of ‘keep it super simple’ life style. A natural need and inclination to do so. And…..as the make over is taking much more time, the constellation of my house (disorder) is affecting me on a deeper level. As if my foundation is also going through a make over ánd feeling the un-easiness of not having the (new) order yet. I can’t find things, forget things, loose things…. I can feel it affects other areas as well. So….I am looking very much forward to my new order in my living room.
Thank you Caroline for confirming the negative impact that disorder in our homes, and probably disorder in whatever else we do, has on our wellbeing.
The world puts so much emphasis on the intellect and the mental activity as one of the success indicators in life, doing well in exams, academic pursuits etc, and in this there is very little importance placed on basic things like the order around us… and many (who are not in their heads) instinctively know that to bring order and harmony, rhythms to our lives, brings a deeper sense of awareness and understanding of life – but this is lost to the average mentally-driven intellectual academic… but at some level many do know that something is missing from their equation, only their very intellect and mind is what is refusing to let them go there and truly understand. I have heard said that the worst prisons to be in are the ones you don’t know that you’re in, and this I have discovered to be true.
The simplicity of order leaves me free to be.
It takes a lot of energy to function in a mess –not just because it’s harder to find things but because it reflects chaos to the body and makes it harder for the body to deeply rest. I’ve noticed for example, if the kitchen bench is clean that people are more likely to clean up after themselves but if it is messy then it encourages people to add to the mess and it’s harder to summon the energy to clean it up. It reflects a certain given-upness which can bring others down. Order on the other hand is uplifting and, as you say Suzanne, ‘my life flows’ and ‘my surroundings support me’.
Order is uplifting. I have been living in my house now for five weeks, while my kitchen with the whole living area is being redone. This means a state of chaos and disorder. I started to notice that if I don’t create an order within the disorder, it effects me. So although it is still quite a ‘situation’ in my house, wherever I can, I make sure it is constellated orderly …..with a boquet of roses on the table amidst the plastics 🙂
Dear Suzanne that was interesting to read your amazing blog because I am a person who was always ordered – even when I was young. For me it is not easy to understand why it is so difficult to put things back if we do not need them anymore. I love the order because it makes life very simple. There is something more beautiful in the order and you mentioned it: “I remember how wonderful and refreshing a tidy, orderly room felt . . . ” YES!
How lovely to feel the change in energy when we sort out and tidy our own homes. There is a sense of accomplishment and pleasure in looking at and living with the changes we make in our environment. Inspired to do more clearing through your sharing Suzanne, thank you.
I agree Roslyn, different areas of my house come to mind, which I need to re-visit. I too love the support I feel I give myself if I keep things ordered, lovingly.
I have been (acting) chaotic and anxious most of my life and I realize that because of this I have made things more complex than they actually are. I used to believe that I am just not equipped to have order and discipline in my life. Now I realize that it is a choice I can make and commit to and that I can simply choose order over complexity. And having myself believe that I can’t might be just a way to escape having to organize my life. Thank you Suzanne.
All of us are affected by the order or disorder of objects that surround us equally so, some people are onto this and can even go overboard to control the order in the environment around them while others become numb to the influence the disorder has even though most people will admit it feels better once order has been brought to disorder. There is of course a healthy middle ground- and healthy is the operative word here – who would have known before Serge Benhayon said it and gave it context that everything in our lives is either harming or healing and as far as health goes everything is either good or bad medicine? That every aspect of life is medicine including the order of objects around us is remarkable, we all have a sense of this but I know until I heard someone else say it I was not prepared to be honest that this is the case.
It is incredibly powerful how order can support, some people are really on to this and don’t allow much disorder to accumulate and others can let it pile up, I also find it is something that can be refined. Such as something can have a place and be put in its place but the placement and angle might be disordered i.e. like tangled headphone wires. Or letting a clean pile of washing sit for longer than needed and telling myself I am ‘prioritising’ something else but this does not add up and is a symptom of underlying anxiousness and lack of presence when what is before us to be done is left to ‘pile up’.
I relate very well to the something that is not in the right placement and angle Deanne! Many times I put my bra away or a pair of shoes away and if I place it in the cupboard without presence or connection to me, as I go to walk away, I am stopped, and I just ‘have’ to go back and fix the item into it’s ‘right’ position! It’s kind of funny, but a really strong marker how with myself I am as I go about the house.
In fact the same feeling arises if I make a spelling error and notice it – I just must go back and correct it!
I agree with you Suzanne, order brings clarity. I have always been able to create physical order around me and yet this contrasts with the muddle in my head and your blog makes me realise that a big broom is needed to clear the clutter that resides there. Being in my presence every moment of the day I know is the answer. When I let thoughts and worries accumulate I simply stockpile rubbish unnecessarily. It is time to de-clutter.
Gorgeous Patricia! Thank you for your comment 🙂
Yes Suzanne, it is the same for me too – “…that I like organising my home, choosing order over complexity.” I like it the same, a clear, uncluttered, tidy and harmonious space where I am at one with my self and everyone that enters my space.
“I have discovered that it is actually not hard to keep it this way, it just takes commitment and discipline to live like this, founded simply upon feeling how lovely it feels to be in a tidy and organised home”.
It certainly does feel lovely living in an organised and tidy home. Like you Suzanne I feel the disharmony and anxiousness when order at home is in disarray.
I have learnt that this order and tidiness needs to come from a place of gentleness, tenderness, self love and support rather than just completing tasks and it looking “nice”.
Shirl, you’ve made a good point here that order comes from within and does not have the same quality if it is imposed from some idea of neatness or tidiness. For example, when you have children it is not possible to keep a place tidy but the ‘mess’ has a very different quality when they are enjoying an activity that they are fully focussed on as against when they are working in disharmony. Stopping to put things away can even help bring them back to a sense of order within.
Important point to expose Sandra, that the ‘enjoyable’ feeling of order comes from within, not from an imposed belief or ideal that we must live in neatness.
I love what you bring in here Shirl; the tidiness needs to come from a place of gentleness, tenderness and self-love and support rather than just completing tasks so it looks ‘nice’ and we may get acceptance and recognition. The first one is feeding us back all the time, nourishing us, the latter is draining us endlessly.
That’s an important thing to note Shirl. I do have a tendency to go the extra mile if I am expecting visitors. I catch myself doing this often and ask myself why I wouldn’t simply do this for myself first, then there would never be any need to rush around ‘tidying up’, because I’ve looked after myself, my place and my things naturally.
How cool to expose this one Elodie, the tidying up so many (usually) women do before visitors come. The question why wouldn’t I do this for myself first and foremost, is important to see if there is an answer; could it be a self worth issue …
This is great Elodie, I used to do the same thing where I would clean my space more thoroughly when there were visitors than when I was on my own, it was very exposing of the lack of self-worth and the images I had about how others should see me. I can truly say now this has all changed and now I enjoy order and cleanliness in my daily rhythm.
“I remember how wonderful and refreshing a tidy, orderly room felt, and I too felt open and clear in my thinking.” I know this very well Suzanne. It is hard to get anything done when areas of the house are disordered. I absolutley love going into a room when I have decluttered, cleaned and reorganised everything. It is like a breath of fresh air wafting through the room and I love how it feels. There is such clarity and the light is able to reflect directly off objects and bounce around the room in a way that it couldn’t before because of the disorder and neglect. The order brings harmony and a stillness not only to the room, but to those who enter it.
I agree Sandra, when my home is in order I feel in order and the harmony and stillness is there. When I am going away I especially like to leave my home in a way that it is open, clear and uncluttered, a beautiful space to return to as the world often takes me out and home brings me back. I now have a much clearer understanding of being in connection with self and how not being connected can be reflected in the space around me.
Absolutley ch1956. Our suroundings are really a great reflection of how we choose to be connected with ourselves or not.
It might take a bit of time to both pack and be organised for one’s trip as well as neaten the home for us to come back, but it is so worth it!
My dad had a catch phrase at home when we were growing up, “a place for everything and everything in its place” This was often cited in an effort to get us to keep things tidy and put things back where we got them from. Needless to say many accumulated hours were spent in the frustration of looking for things that were not where they should have been. Living with a sense of order, a knowing that everything is in its ‘right place’, clean, tidy, clutter free, simplifies life and creates an ease and harmony, a lightness that then flows through our body .
My boyfriend has a similar saying for me. Put things back instead of away. It is translated from Dutch, so I don’t know if it cathches the essence in English. Bottomline is that everything has it’s place, so put it back where it belongs instead of just somewhere. It gives a special feeling to put things back where they belong. It feel like completing a circle. Still work in progress, but very worthwhile to go for.
This is great Caroline, and yes, it does catch the same essence in English! To put things back where they belong rather than away anywhere is such a simple way of putting it. I am really inspired by this little comment and shall remember it next time I go to use something ; )
Caroline, how simple is that, but it does feel huge. And it feels like a completion. Worth pondering on and adhering to.
Agree Caroline. An absolute work in progress for me too! I’m still working on making my bed each day.
I like this too, ‘put things back’ rather than ‘put things away’. I will use it with my daughter, as she learns how nice it feels to have her stuff organised around her.
It is of great support to have a tidy house, I feel how heavy it can be when my room is untidy and the difference it makes when everything is in order or has a place to live.
I always find how the state of my home, bedroom or car is, is a reflection of how I feel on the inside. If my bedroom is disorderly then I also feel disorderly and discombobulated. As you have so beautifully shared the difference is remarkable when we choose to care for and organise the environment we live in, our sanctuary.
Absolutely Vanessa – I totally appreciate your comment. When I find that I am becoming unordered in our home, in my car or at work I have to question how I am handling my life as a whole – is there something going on under the surface that I am not allowing myself to be aware of? This can be a great indicator that I am not making choices to stay in a natural state of harmony and then returning order and harmony to my surroundings can be so supportive in making different choices in my life.
I still find I let life and issues get in the way of simply doing what needs to get done in terms of organising my home. I feel that it reflects the lack of worth I feel in myself and the mindset I’ve had for many years that I’m just here for others – so I don’t take time just for me. Great to read your blog, thank you.
“As an adult now with my own house, I know what it feels like when I clean out the linen cupboard, pantry, shoe rack, cutlery draw, shed, desk, or weed the garden. It feels amazing, and I feel 12 feet tall!” I agree Suzanne. Life flows and there is simplicity in the ordering and tidying up of things – something I am still working on.
Thanks so much Suzanne this is a great blog for me to read and re-read, for the foreseeable future at least,as I still fall into the organised chaos category from time to time and it doesn’t feel nice and never did. It is that constant,committment and dedication to life that I stumble with but am working on.
I recall as a young boy loving organising and ordering my room – some days I would measure everything and scale the furniture in my room on to graph paper – moving the shapes around and getting the next plan for my room organised ready for action. It would take me all day I loved it and I loved how it felt. These days I don’t rearrange on such a grand scale with regularity but I love to have everything in a certain place, it supports me to know exactly what is where. This is loving and harmonious for me and for those that live with me.
Hi Suzanne, I felt like you were talking about me when you spoke about how your room was when you were younger, that chair of clothes not dirty enough for the wash and not clean enough for the cardboard, it cracked me up. I have gotten heaps better since I was young but I still have not nailed it in the clean and tidy department. I would love to know if you struggled like I have? I have 5 kids and I am a Mum now, so there is certainly no one to tell me to clean my room but I tend to keep my wardrobe clean for a period of a few weeks but then it slowly slips back to chaos. I love the feeling of a clean but seem to be unable to have it last? Any tips please feel free to comment below
It is remarkable that our private domain (room, house) is usually pretty messy. What is this telling us? That we live in a way that we need to find relief from it constantly. We live in a way that segments our life between faces (the private face, the public one). We live in deep disregard in and out. Realizing that is about relief is a great starting point to start questioning how we live. Our disregard feeds this way of living. Embracing order provides you a foundation to live differently paying attention to details of how things affect us.
Great comment Eduardo, it is disregard when we neglect the very place that is designed to support us and offer us a sanctuary that we can come home to and feel nurtured by. Really then it is also an expose of our lack of self worth when we let things go and shows where we are at. I’m very good at always having a messy pile or corner that needs attention, almost like a relief pile. It feels like I sabotage the supportive environment I could otherwise be enjoying.
So very true.
Thank you Suzanne.
order and complexity.. oh how my room was so similar to the room that you described as a teenager. I feel like it always reflected the mess that I was living within my head and I now look around at my home and am so appreciative of how far i’ve come and how much love I have for myself in keeping my home clean and tidy.
I also love order over complexity and like you Suzanne feel the disharmony when there is chaos and disorder.
I enjoy the constant, rhythmical feeling of order rather than the occasional and spasmodic cleanups.
Thank you for the reminder and the confirmation.
My house is quite tidy even though I live with my three kids and a dog. I have gotten used to it being Off course there are moment that things get a bit messy but I can never allow for it for too long as I get restless. Reading your blog made me stop to appreciate the energy of my house and the regard we have for it, it is our foundation and it’s very supporting indeed.
Having just read your blog and the comments, there is cupboard that needs my attention and I’m going to see to it now. Thanks for the inspiration Suzanne.
I love the feeling of coming home to a place that I have left nice and tidy. I notice when things start to get messy its because I am feeling too tired or I’m out of my natural rhythm. Looking at how I keep my home is a great way of observing how I am doing.
I love creating order out of chaos, It feels amazing to have everything in its place, and once its there the room and house feels amazing. I use to have a bedroom as you described as a teenager, I had a laugh as I read it. Thank you Suzanne a great reminder of how important creating order in all aspects of our life is, and how it affects our day to day.
Order is something I also love and tidying up when things feel a little off or unsettled is a lovely way for me to regather, come back to me and to feel clear again.
Reblogged this on florisvanderschot's Blog and commented:
Een (on)georganiseerd huis en tuin, kan dat iets te maken hebben met emotionele (in)stabiliteit?
I feel exposed by your blog Suzanne and inspired. I love order to and I am much more ordered than ever before in my life. But I can tell that it’s always as if I’m testing myself. If I do really well, I’m creating (a little) extra chaos and am telling myself then that I can’t do it, can’t handle it. Where as you’re sharing, it just takes commitment and listening to yourself, rather than listening to the voice that says that I can’t do it. While writing I can feel the choice, listening to my heart which is still and letting me choose or listen to my mind that is telling me that I can’t do it… So here’s the choice…
I can totally relate Suzanne. I too like to be surrounded by order and a clean home. I find it only takes a moment to create this space and often when the space isn’t in order or tidy, I can see raceyness reflected back at me. Creating order does take committment and time but I find it creates such a supportive environment and allows other moments around it to flow.
For me my house reflects how I am, so when areas in my house are a chaos, then there areas in my life I need to look at. And it does not matter if it is in sight or not, you can still feel when an area is draining or you feel restless by walking in to the house or passing certain cupboards. Especially with a family it can be a challenge, but there is so much to learn about the relationship between our self and the house we live in.
I agree Diana, we feel everything and it always has an impact on us. When we choose to feel and see the chaos, without criticism, we give ourselves an opportunity to do something about it.
That is beautiful Katinka “When we choose to feel and see the chaos, without criticism, we give ourselves an opportunity to do something about it.”
And I agree, when we criticise ourself about the chaos we cannot clearly see what is is showing us. I myself have to keep practicing this, work in progress 🙂
Some great comments here on how paying attention to the little things makes such a difference, just tidying a cluttered corner feels great, as we let go of our mental clutter too. I love Suzanne’s line: ‘the more organised and ready I am, the more equipped I feel to handle what life brings.’ So true.
Yes Carmel, I like to tackle one part of the house at a time. It might just be a cupboard or a drawer that needs sorting, but the feeling it leaves me with is priceless. I feel lighter and clearer in my head.
“I remember how wonderful and refreshing a tidy, orderly room felt, and I too felt open and clear in my thinking.” Very true Suzanne. I am currently doing an online de-cluttering course and the difference I am feeling is tremendous. Going through drawers and cupboards and clearing out un-needed and unwanted stuff is liberating.
I can totally relate to this. How much the state of my bedroom reflected the state of my teenage apathy and lack of care for anything! And If I am run off my feet and busy then the state of the house starts showing me I am not taking care of myself and feeling the pressure rather than being just in the flow and on top of things. There is so much we can read from something like this. These days if my office desk is messy I cant even start work until its perfectly organised!
I’m feeling very aware that the magic felt from some ‘order’ doesn’t just apply to the inside of the house. It’s very easy to neglect the outside areas, once the front door is closed we can think it doesn’t matter if we can’t see it. That’s just an illusion, any disregard is harming us whether we look at it all the time or not. I’ve been feeling some heaviness as I drive into my house and I know it’s because I’ve been neglecting to take care of our beautiful garden. Time for some ‘outside’ TLC.
I have been feeling very anxious about a situation that is totally out of my control and I have found it so supportive to feel the order I’ve started to bring into my home. Seeing all the plastic containers neatly stacked by size, with their lids!, made me appreciate that the love that I’ve been bringing into my home, through taking the time to lovingly create this order, is feeding me back. It sounds like such a simple thing, but just seeing the order that I’d created and touching the plastic, brought me back to the hear and now, to what’s important and it really does help to ease the anxiety.
Thank you Suzanne, an organised and tidy home makes a huge difference to how we are able to live. I find that when the house is tidy, I am much clearer in myself, and I am able to make more loving choices.
I can relate to being proud of “living in an organized chaos”, and also having rediscovered the absolute pleasure of having everything in order, and a place for each thing. I now continually dedicate time every day to tidy up, to decide things that should go and things that need a better place to live in. It might seem trivial, but actually it is essential for me, it gives me the space and the joy I need to have around, and not only me, I always think of people visiting and how much better they will feel.
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It’s true Suzanne, but for many years I would not have believed you. I felt that chaos was a natural way of living, usually just winging it. But it actually is a way of not having to feel things that don’t feel right because all your attention is around dealing with the chaos and having to checkout mentally to ignore the disharmony of the disorder all around. What I didn’t realise was just how much the distraction that chaos provides actually was bringing me down and making me feel worse so that I’d want to shut it out even more. Now I am slowly bringing order to the chaos, and hugely enjoying the support that this brings back to me. And that support allows me to grow in awareness and in ways I would not have imagined before.
Wow, Annie, you’ve shone a light on a common strategy – and how bizarre to create chaos to avoid feeling and then having to check-out further to ignore the chaos.
What a lot of energy we waste in such behaviours.
Susanne, I have always loved order and the clarity that it brings,even as a young girl I felt how order affected my life, but up until I met Serge Benhayon, my order was an up and down order, I was either super tidy and organised or things would start to slide. I never held this state of being. It was a reflection of my life in every way.
Since meeting Serge I now have an order that flows, I look around and see the changes I have made and how now there is a natural order that is consistent in my life , another reflection of committment building and learning to appreciate that consistancy.
Suzanne I was drawn to visit your blog once again and found it to be confirming by inspiration. I find I am able to more easily find that stillness within when my surroundings have some order, and by budgetting my time and energy output the resultant feeling of harmony when I have managed a ‘de-cluttering’ appointment with myself is so worth it.
I have another appointment with myself this morning to attend to some of which cannot be seen on the surface – in those places that one puts off until another day. I feel the celebration and the joyful feeling of de-cluttering is coupled by that feeling of harmony and stillness within. What a lovely place to be.
Spot on, Suzanne – to know I have an overview and know where everything is and that it is tidy and clean – is absolutely supportive and a big brick in my foundation of daily living.
This does not mean that it does not happen that things get unordered – but this is a sign to me, something is going on in my daily rhythm which either needs to be sorted out our is an disturbance form outside.
It has been beautiful receiving photos of Susanne’s land being prepared for there new home, each time I look at the pictures I see such an attention to detail in the ground work, this is very inspiring to watch. You are building from the foundations up. This home will be amazing.
Order and simplicity allows great clarity. There is True Joy for me in finding a place for everything and living in harmony with natural order.
I couldn’t agree with you more Suzanne, ‘I have come to realise that I am disturbed by disharmony, just like the lions, and that I like organising my home, choosing order over complexity.’ My home feels so different and i feel so different when my home is ordered and tidy, I grew up with a really messy bedroom and would also leave my mess around the house, now if I do that it feels awful, I love the house feeling tidy with everything in its place, I feel so much more clear, steady and calm when i have made the commitment and taken the time to tidy and order my house, it feels like a very loving thing to do.
I also agree with you Suzanne, especially right after I have cleaned my rooms, the energy in the rooms has changed completely and it feels so nice and supportive, when everything is clean and in order.
I had what I called ‘a lifeline pile’ for years, as I little by little decluttered my home and regularly took it off to the various charities. I only realise now at the same time I was actually’ decluttering’ myself on the inside. These days my home reflects the order I feel with myself and there is a sense of space today that wasn’t there before.
I don’t think I have ever seen any image of the animal world in chaos. Even when there is chaos happening around them they seem to simply do what is needed to support themselves.
It’s true, I have always felt better and more able to do the things I want to do when there is order and harmony in my house. It feels so spacious when everything is where it should be. I have noticed that I feel more lovely within myself too.
Yes Amanda, it’s not just spacious on the outside, it seems to create space within us too and everything flows more easily.
As without, so within as they say. I also find these little parts of the house that I look at and go, wow I’ve really let that go. Each time these spots are reclaimed it make a difference to how the whole house feels.
So totally relate to that Joel! its a great reflection of how I am going and if I’m just managing to get through or really on top of things. If I’m struggling – the fist thing I do is clean and tidy and it makes such a difference!
wow – i feel you’ve unlocked something quite big for me here Simon with your sharing around how you address any struggling with cleaning and tidying . I am putting this to the test for myself!
Keeping our home environment tidy creates a nurturing space that is lovely to come home to after a busy day. When I’m feeling low, the state of my house reflects this so a few minutes tidying and cleaning can make a big difference.
I find this timely to be reading this blog and your comment Carmel – and feel now that a little of the overwhelm-ness presently felt is as a result of my not factoring into my rhythm the time nor space to address those things in my home/cupboard/car and mind that are not providing the evidence of a clutter-free environment. Wow! I can hardly wait for the rest of the day to unfold – for today is the day I get back on track, realizing it it up to me to choose my uncluttered environment.
I do exactly the same. I give myself a few minutes, I even say ‘now tidy up 20 things’ and that in itself makes such a difference. I do it now before I leave my work desk (I work from home) and go down to cook. The tendency to leave the desk as it is, is there, but…..it’s worth it to leave it tidied up. You should see the smile on my face when I walk in the next day 🙂
I love the joy and lightness that can be felt in your comment Caroline. It really inspired me to deepen the joy, lightness and enjoyment around those “tidy up moments” already integrated in my rhythm. From there I can feel how it becomes so much easier to build up in my family rhythm the other “tidy up, clean up or declutter moments” that are needed however not fully honoringly attended to as yet.
I too have found those few extra moments making sure everything is set up ready to go for the next day’s work so supportive. I love how it feels like a welcoming hug when I walk back into my workspace to start work again the next morning.
Yes Carmel, I too have noticed that if I am feeling down, then just a simple tidying task like putting away the clean clothes or tidying my bedside table, can really lift my mood, and with a clearer space I can have clearer thoughts.
So spot on Carmel. I can always tell how I am actually doing during the week if my room, office, car or desk are not organised. I find if I pay attention to that, and make sure I keep things organised and have everything set up well to support me – the week just flows so much better.
I’ve noticed the same Simon, I know when things are not so great by the state of my flat. When I am on top of everything, my flat feels ordered and spacious and when I’ve been struggling I start to feel suffocated by the encroaching mess around me.
I can so relate to this Carmel. When my house is in a muddle I can find it very hard to motivate myself and can easily go into overwhelm because there is so much to do and I don’t know where to start. But by keeping things tidied and orderly I can feel how my body is so much more open and spacious and I can get so much done. It really does feel as though my energy gets stuck when the house in untidy, whereas when everything is in its place, all else simply flows. And then, everything feels so much better.
I agree Carmel, the state of our house reflects the state of our being, so committing to living in an orderly space creates more harmony within ourselves.
I also find having order at work very supportive for the ease and flow of my day and having clarity. It can be something as simple as filing things away where I know I will be able to find them again or de-cluttering the pen holder that can change the way myself and my desk feel.
Yes Carmel, it’s true that the state of our house reflects our state of being. I can go for weeks with everything in its place and then suddenly it can seem hard to keep it tidy and the disorder usually starts when I’m tired or not connected to myself and then a stubborn part of me can’t be bothered putting things away and my normal commitment to order melts away. Once I clock this, order is quickly restored, or if I have trouble coming back, actually tidying up, as you say Carmel, will help me to reconnect.
Agreed Carmel, it always amazes me the difference it makes to my day when I take the time to tidy up and move things around the house in a way that is supportive, it can be something small but somehow it creates more space to be more.
I find this a beautiful reminder Carmel, how when we create order in our lives then we can live harmoniously. I feel now the way that I keep my home and belongings really supports me to live my fullness. It was not so long ago that this was a foreign thing to me and I can really appreciate now how the way I lived with clutter and disorder was affecting my wellbeing.
This is a wonderful suggestion…”ponder on the level of order and structure I have had throughout my life.” to enable me to clear this one…”anxiety – the more organised and ready I am, the more equipped I feel to handle what life brings.”
Thank you Suzanne for this beautiful writing and I agree totally with you the more organised and ready I am, the more equipped I feel to handle what life brings.
There is nothing I like more than having order and structure, and when needed a well-executed plan like the lions. What I love about the lion analogy is their focus and their ability to understand their environment, the animal they are hunting and that it takes more than just one to execute the plan, most of all their honouring of time and space and how simple and yet very powerful that can be. I love what you have written Suzanne, I strive to keep everything as ordered, clear and simple as I can nowadays, and like the lions keep focussed on the task at hand, and calling in support.
The lions remind me of brotherhood too, where when we all work together we can achieve much.
great blog I have been decluttering for some time now and I find the more I clear the better it feels and it is a continual process the clearer I get the clearer I need my surroundings
I agree Margaret, having been clearing my house out now for over four years, after having three house moves and accumulating three households worth of belongs from my daughters and my now deceased mother – finally we are down to just our own things, and I am very strict about what comes in from other people. There’s still more to go but every time a load goes I feel so much freer in myself, and then I wait for the next clear out to be felt.
Yes Julie, it is an interesting process isn’t it. For me I often come back from a Universal Medicine event, a session with a practitioner, or have processed some of my hurts and let them go through a process at home.I feel the need to clean up re arrange and de-clutter my home, work environment or my garden. A big one for me is my bowels feeling free to let go after I let go of disharmony and emotional clutter I have held in my body.
this is my experience too Margaret – it is a continual process indeed, and one that I approach with a growing sense of joy and responsibility
When my thought are cluttered and unclear or my desk at work becomes untidy I know I have gone into my head to much and need to reconnect with my body and feel into what is coming up for me once I work through that and with my solid steady foundation of the love that I am things become clear to me again.
Yes Margaret, I find this too that the more we evolve the more our livingness needs to come into line to support us.
That’s true Christopher the more we evolve the simpler life becomes as I connect with my steady foundation of stillness and love I don’t to feel the busyness and heavy feeling of clutter around me.
Suzanne, I love the serendipity of the fact I’ve chosen to read your blog. I’m in the middle of moving and packing and it’s been amazing to feel how much more organised and methodical I am this time (all packed and labelled) and how I love it. I’ve allowed myself space to do it and it feels great. And I’m now considering those other places where I have a bravado that says I am fine with mess where it might be, when in truth I’m not, I work better when my environment supports me, and that word you choose bravado describes that rebellion I know well, when something doesn’t work for me but I cling to it just to prove a point. More to look at, and that’s great.
What you share is so true Suzanne. It always feels great to clear out the clutter and have a place for everything. There always seems to be more space to breath and less anxiousness.
That is so true Brendan, we create a delay with chaos and that is the anxiousness and nervousness in the body because I am not able to look after myself, and there is so much to do when things pile up. Could it be that the chaos is just reflecting us that we don’t care about ourselves enough as we should deeply and that tiding up is good therapy for ourselves?
I agree Brendan. I was often ridiculed as a child for being the ‘perfectionist” when I chose to keep my room or home in later years clean and orderly. I never felt comfortable to share that I felt out of sorts if my work and living space reflected this. This blog is a great confirmation that living with regard in your space is what allows me to move will less anxiousness. It has helped me appreciated now the comments made by friends and work colleagues that my space feel so warm and inviting.
Yes Brendan I agree with no clutter a space feels complete and spacious. I feel our houses also show a great reflection for how we are living within ourselves too. A great opportunity to check in with what’s really going on.
Suzanne, that’s so true there does feel like there is more space and less anxiousness. tomorrow I’m going to tackle my paper work, it has been accumulating recently.
I love it Suzanne – thank you for this insightful blog. I can feel how that choosing to commit to true order in our lives develops a foundation that allows the space for truth and love, our stillness, to naturally flow and be felt. And that complexity only distracts and keeps us from feeling this truth and keeps us from living in a rhythm that supports our connection to the truth and love of our stillness.
Precision is something worth working on.
I used to fight it, but now I appreciate and celebrate order in my life as it is my natural way. Thank you Suzanne for sharing the simplicity of your experience and of that you’ve observed in nature.
I really enjoyed reading your blog, Suzanne. The analogy of the lions is great. I much prefer order over complexity and a tidy home feels wonderful and so harmonious. Yet I often leave things to ‘put away’ later – not a great pattern! Some work to do here!
Yes I agree Sue, I also have some work to do with putting things back where they belong straight away, leaving it till later starts to cause a drain on my energy levels.
Today I experienced first hand how it feels to work closely with someone who is disorganised and chaotic. It’s very imposing and I found it very challenging to maintain my normal rhythm. Because the individual was feeling out of control, they over compensated by exerting more control over everyone around them which felt so disempowering. I could feel other people becoming very disengaged.
It was a great lesson for me to feel the impact of how we are not only supporting ourselves by choosing to be more ‘ordered’ in our lives, but also everyone around us.
Thank you Suzanne for reminding me, that a tidy and clean home is so precious and supportive. I have improved a lot in the last year, but I can still even more tidy up my home.
Thank you Suzanne, I too enjoy having a tidy and organised home !
We admire the order and harmony that exists in nature, whilst often living in disorder and complexity ourselves. Bringing simplicity and order to our surroundings can bring a wonderful feeling of harmony to our body. This is so gorgeous to feel.
I agree Elizabeth, beginning with an organised and tidy space creates a clear foundation and makes such a big difference to how I feel before I begin a task. I then find this allows more flow and enjoyment in me in whatever I’m doing. When I don’t take the time to do this now it feels pretty awful all round.
I love the title – Choosing order over complexity, it is that simple…and the question is; what am I choosing right now? Awareness is key in making changes that truly support us.
Yes, I too have felt the same feeling when I have attended to organizing and sorting out a pile of letters, or cupboard or wardrobe. Its like it bring order and organization to the body as well. Attending to de-cluttering is like clearing up the disregard we have been living in.
‘I have discovered that it is actually not hard to keep it this way, it just takes commitment and discipline to live like this, founded simply upon feeling how lovely it feels to be in a tidy and organised home.’ I feel commitment is the key here, as with the rest of life. The commitment to live consistently in a loving and supportive way allowing ourselves to be naturally impulsed from our bodies, rather than our minds. Offering the same love, commitment and discipline in the way we live in and ‘keep’ our home is an extension of this. Put like that, the fact that I still have dis-order in my home is very exposing, for me.
When the house is ordered ….’I feel no anxiety – the more organised and ready I am, the more equipped I feel to handle what life brings.’ I can really relate to this. It’s as though we are feeling the stability from having lovingly laid an ordered foundation in our home, to support us. And support it does, with all that love just feeding us back.
I feel the same, Alison. Having an ordered foundation at home is very supportive.
I really related to how the more I am in tune with the natural order in life, there is less that I am unsettled by its surprises. It is as if this steadiness allows me to respond to life rather than react in fear or protection.
Just reading your blog Suzanne, my whole body fills with joy – I love order and things being clean. It creates harmony, space, joy and clarity – complexity and mess creates stagnation and delay. And are also a good distraction, keeping us busy all the time.
“So what else happens when I am living an ordered life? – My life flows” My body let out a big sigh reading this and said Yes! Life does most definitely flow with an ease, grace and joy when there is order (not control) and simplicity.
“I have discovered that it is actually not hard to keep it this way, it just takes commitment and discipline to live like this, founded simply upon feeling how lovely it feels to be in a tidy and organised home”.
I agree Suzanne it does feel super lovely to have a consistently organised ordered home; so supportive and nurturing.
I agree Suzanne… there is a harmony that pervades when there is order, and it is felt when we come home at the end of the day, knowing there is nothing to do – everything is complete.
‘everything is complete’ these words feel a joy to read. I do not live this way everyday, as yet, but I do know how amazing this feels in my body, to complete a day and not carry stuff over to the next, or go to bed with a to do list in my head. But be able to stop, and know the day is complete. In saying that I can feel how this can be done with every task / job whatever we choose to do throughout the day – completion, clarity and moving on to whatever needs done next, without being distracted by thoughts in our head such as maybe I should have done that or this, or thinking about the previous task over and over again. Very confirming and solidifying to live in this way, simple and complete.
I’ve just done a huge spring clean in my house and can attest to the balance and harmony you describe. Not only does everything sparkle, it’s been rehoused or repositioned in line with how life needs to flow at the moment, so my home is in true support of where I’m at. Things at my fingertips, life at the ready, orderliness in waiting. I can truly recommend it. A small investment for a massive return.
I’ve also thought about the aspect of control, Donna. I’m feeling that when order comes from an impulse to support ourselves with our surroundings, it’s very loving. As opposed to needing things to be a certain way because that’s the way we like them or need them to be – that to me feels limiting, controlling and imposing. Even as I wrote that I could feel the rigidity in what I was saying! With the impulse there is a flow that will change over time, with the need there is an expectation for things to be a certain way.
How much do I LOVE knowing exactly where my wallet and keys are – each and every time because I have taken the time to place them in the same spot each time. and How frustrating is it when I have been too busy or rushed to do this and I spend 15 minutes running around the house looking for them when I am late. Having a simple order in any area of my life just makes things so much smoother, less frustrating and fun!
Been there, done that and I agree
I love the feeling of being organised. When my surroundings are in an organised manner it feels great and my whole body feel more at ease. I know that order helps me to be more of myself. I use to think that perhaps I was controlling over my environment, but I now realise and claim within myself that being orderly is a deep support for how I live my life.
I have been quite overwhelmed in the past about knowing I need to reorganise almost everything my house, and where can I start? So I’ve ended up not starting at all. But more recently, when I notice disorder in a drawer, I can take a few minutes to sort it out and the difference feels lovely. This then encourages me to do more, I’m moving on into a very cluttered shed.
It is interesting to read your observations of the lion hunt Suzanne, ‘They appeared to be very well ordered and disciplined in how they worked as a group.’ A couple of days ago i observed how a group of young children who were all making drums worked together in this way, they did not know each other, there wasn’t that much room for the parents and so the children were all asking each other for help, for scissors, passing each other the tape, i could feel a sense of harmony and flow and working together and i could feel and see how much they were enjoying working together in this way, all talking with each other, it felt very natural, ordered and harmonious.
Life feels so clean and clear with order and simplicity. It is a wonder why we choose to let our rooms and spaces get so dis-ordered and messy when we are the ones that have to suffer the consequences.
I love the list of effects of order you have noticed Suzanne. Committing and maintaining order in one’s life can thus be seen as a key element of healing.
Everything in nature is connected in some way. What seems like random weather events are simple rebalancing moments. This is no different to the human body. If we eat too much sugar, more insulin is produced to combat the excess, so a rebalancing effect. The beautiful thing is it is always in tune with what’s happening and is it never not working towards a balanced harmonious existence.
I love the feeling of harmony and being connected with everything that comes with order and organisation, not in a rigid or super strict way but one that supports a harmonious flow in life. Time for me to go and re-order my desk!
A ‘flow’ is a great way of describing this – it’s certainly not rigidity that makes us feel good.
‘They appeared to be very well ordered and disciplined in how they worked as a group.’ This made me think about how humans are in daily life… Quite often the opposite to this. It’s interesting how people think we come from animals..there aren’t many similarities. We are to good at living in disharmony.
You make a good point, Emily. Maybe that’s because humans are often all about themselves – their own gain. It takes some development for us to recognize how working as part of a group for the greater good of all of humanity brings a far greater reward than doing things just for ourselves can ever offer.
I am very ‘ordered’ in my job at work and I have been noticing that I am not so ordered at home. Quite a bit of the ‘disorder’ isn’t of my making, however, unless I choose to have order with my things, consistently, I’m not going to inspire anyone around me to change any time soon.
I have been amazed at the joy I am feeling after cleaning out a cupboard, that I’ve been meaning to ‘go through’ for years. It feel like this domestic dis-order has been a very effective way for me to ‘hold myself back’.
It feels like this domestic dis-order has been a very effective way for me to ‘hold myself back’. A great insight and sharing Alison, that can support others who perhaps want to bring more harmony and order to their homes, but never quite get round to it….simply because they are holding themsevles back….ouch!
“I still seemed to know where everything was though, so I prided myself on living in organised chaos.” I can so relate to this, as I can usually easily find what I need. I prefer to live uncluttered but the myriad of excuses I can come up with are legion! Currently I am doing a stock-take and de-clutter of all cupboards etc – feels great!
This article makes me realise the importance of order in my life. It supports the flow of my rhythm, and everything I do from there feels to have an order too. I maintain a steady simple rhythm from there. Accepting this is all I need for this moment now is very confirming.
I love reading this article and have been feeling for some time now that there a couple of areas within our home which need organising and de-cluttering (one being the garage), but what I find interesting it seems to have gotten to the point where it is disturbing how we feel and actually affecting us – this is great to feel, especially as we hoarded for 20+ years.
We’ve let go of so much and this feels like the next layer.
” I feel 12 feet tall” what a great expression! and one I can certainly relate to when it comes to having a tidy room and house. Tidiness is also contagious – when I tidied my work space I noticed soon thereafter so did my colleague confirming that when we bring order to one environment we assist bringing order everywhere- after all our whole universe is immaculately ordered it can’t not feel amazing to be aligned to this in our own lives and homes.
I love reading this article, as it reminds me when all is in order, my life flows beautifully, no anxiousness, life has a steady flow, no surprises. There’s is a lovely rhythm.
From time to time, we have all chosen disorder. But harmony in order and spaciousness is innate within our cells and the wisdom of our bodies. Anything that causes tension, a lack of space and order feels uncomfortable, and unnatural.
We all know harmony, just as nature shows us, but we have chosen to live in disharmony in many aspects of our lives. I wonder whether disharmony is possible only when we do not choose to feel our own exquisite harmony within? And whether our reason for being disorganized is a choice to not be in our natural fullness? And why have we taken on something unnatural, which causes tension in us, to start with and made that the norm? (The way we fight to clean up our rooms, work spaces and environments.)
Committing to keep my surroundings clean and tidy creates a flow in life with simplicity and harmony for all.
Yes I agree Francisco, and it does require a commitment to self lovingly do this.
It does Michelle, and a consistency to that commitment. I feel my commitment can be in fits and starts, so I love reading these blogs each day, it is very supportive for bringing more consistency to my rhythm.
Its lovely to feel and appreciate how spacious the family home feels when we are caring for the way we organise the house and organising it in a harmonious way. It sets a foundation for any disharmony in the relationship to be addressed straight away, because it really sticks out when you have a supportive space around you!
I agree Harry it is well worth appreciating the foundations we have and it’s well worth being open to how these can develop more to support our selves and our families.
Love to re-read this blog Suzanne, it is just full of gems and provides the bigger picture of the importance of order and structure in our lives, for it can be said, we are all disturbed by disharmony whether we realise it or not. Bringing more harmony into our lives, brings more awarness of what truly supports our bodies and the places where we live and work.
I too have prided myself living in organised chaos. I have also blamed my circumstances: I haven’t enough drawers for all my things, you never know whether you might need such and such, I don’t want to waste money by throwing things away. I’m now looking at how much money I’ve wasted by buying things I didn’t need to overflow the cupboards I haven’t enough of, and what was I feeling when I was buying all those things? An emptiness and feeling of unfulfillment is never going to be filled with more material stuff. So I’ve spent a time looking into that issue, not going shopping, reducing my disorganisation and clutter and feeling more fulfilled. That’s quite cool.
That is cool Gillrandall. Making space and order is amazingly supportive and allows flow and clarity into our lives. Our surroundings have a huge effect on our well-being and I noticed that once I began to take more care and bring order to my environment, I then felt good about myself and so much clearer.
I had an interesting experience with chaos and order in my home recently. I was feeling tired and my home felt messy, I tried and tried to tidy it, to clean it, to care for it. But the more I worked the more exhausted I became. So I just had to stop and rest. This took a couple of days as I cared for myself and my body. Then, I just seemed to reach a point when I had the vitality again and I approached the house work with enthusiasm and a clarity of thought which had not been there before. The work seemed to happen instantly and the house felt transformed. From this lesson I have learnt that in all situations I have to care for myself and my body first.
Thank you Shami for sharing your experience of caring for your self and your body first. and taking the time to rest….and resting without the mind incessantly telling you that you really should be doing the jobs
Thank you, Shami, it’s so important that we’re able to give ourselves permission to rest when we’re feeling the impulse to do so. It’s not a weakness, or a ‘cop out’, but a deep surrender, honouring of our body and a great strength.
I get the link between being ‘organised’ inside and being organised outside. The choice to honour each moment comes from honouring of myself first, which has come through the understanding I have worked with inspired by Universal Medicine presentations that we do know harmony within our body and can bring it from our body into our life. It is great to read in this blog how the discipline to be organised comes from knowing how lovely it feels to be that way and I would had, how lovely it feels to be me in my body before any activity occurs. From that connection the discipline follows naturally and simply without the effort to be disciplined. This seems important, because I have witnessed in myself and in others, a tendency to be disorganised because I do not want to feel lovely, or somehow believe I do not deserve to feel that way.
I can relate to what you have shared. I love a clean and ordered space. When things are a mess I struggle to focus and am distracted by what hasn’t been done. I love an orderly space, it helps me focus and get on with what’s needed.
I’m looking forward to my weekend. I’ve cleared some time to spend with myself, sorting through my bathroom cupboard. A date with me.
I love making space like this too Alison, it’s so nurturing!
After I went through my bathroom cupboard and drawers, despite there not being a visual change, I was so drawn to walking in over the next few days, just to feel how gorgeous the room felt. The change was enormous.
Great blog Suzanne. I too can relate on how when my home is orderly, neat and tidy, I feel more spacious, my mind is less racy and judgemental, I feel more grounded and calm. There is more of a flow to how I live. Housework instead of feeling like a burden, then feels like a self loving thing to do.
Great blog Suzanne. I’ve had similar experiences where I was incredibly messy as a teenager – and beyond if I’m honest! I’ve learnt in recent years through the teachings of Universal Medicine, to re-connect to my inner-essence and feel the beautiful quality that resides within me. This quality then naturally extends to my home which feels super supportive. It’s still a work in progress and there always areas I can go back to and refine, but I’ve noticed that when things begin to get a little disorganized around me I get thrown off balance, this is a red light for me and I know that I need to look at what’s going on in my life. Having a sense of order and harmony is just so supportive on every level and is a great reflection for how we are feeling about ourselves.
Thank you Suzanne, I can relate to how you describe having an ordered and organized environment, and how this flows into how you feel…” life flows… emotions stable… more steadiness… surrounding support me… able to handle whatever life brings..” Organising our environment is a great starting point to introduce self care into our day.
“I eventually felt grateful for being given the opportunity to feel how lovely tidiness, organisation and order are, instead of mess, chaos and clutter”. This is a defining moment Suzanne. Every child should be raised to ‘feel’ how lovely tidiness, organisation and order are, instead of being instructed or disciplined to ‘tidy up’. Once they have embodied the feeling, tidying up will be the natural way rather than a chore they grudgingly do.
I remember as a child Anne being very orderly and organised. I even had a ritual of getting up early to make my bed all beautiful.
Beautiful Marcia and what a confirmation of you and how amazing you naturally are.
Yes Marcia me too. Once a month I would not only clean out my bedroom when I was young but re-arrange it to my liking. It was and still is so much fun. I love the clarity it brings.
I love this Kelly – your comment reminded me that i also use to sleep in the same place all night and wake up like my bed had still been made. My parents would always comment about this. Ha ha
I agree Anne McRitchie what a beautiful way to live with responsibility as a feeling to confirm your harmony instead of I do not want to do that ..
Love it Anne. Rather than a parent shouting ‘tidy your room’, they could be shown what tidiness and order feels like. The barking military type of instruction only creates a fear and children eventually resist and react when they are old enough and will ‘do what they want’, which is usually escape and indulge.
I agree Matthew but what you touch on is the hypocritical style of parenting that we are all too often now seeing in our society, in that parent’s are now giving their children “instructions” or “rules” on how to behave based on ideals of how they believe the children should be when actually as a parent not addressing in themselves the very issues that the children are showing
Yes the shouting and demanding leaves kids short of the love they can trust and be inspired by.
I am so drawn to your article Suzanne and whenever I read it, I’m so inspired to bring more love and order to my home. It has completely changed my perception of keeping an ordered house. I don’t see it as a chore at all, but something I really enjoy doing. I just wish there were more hours in the day!!!
There is a natural order to the world. When we see the simplest of things, like a shell on a beach or an uncurling fern, we are reminded of the simple and ornate geometry of nature. Perhaps it is possible for us to live in accordance to the same. The proportions of the Great Pyramid is proof of this.
Having finally completed emptying an apartment for someone I am power of attorney for – it really reveals and confirms just how much our ‘stuff’ only has meaning to the person who possesses it and, at the end of the day even items that were thought to be valuable in some way (unless some one is a fine art collector etc), actually are basically worthless. The moment is always there for us to declutter and ensure no one else has to deal with it by ‘getting our own house in order’ – house being symbolic for how we also tend to our body and its true wellbeing as well as somewhere we live.
Interesting point Stephanie, I have often wondered when sorting through some of my piles what another would make of my mementos. What I question now is are they holding me in a past which lacks the beauty and truth that I can constantly unfold today should I so choose?
Thank you for this blog Suzanne, I am continually clearing my home but just as I looked up from reading I saw my tidy stack of papers that could be in a box – I have a really good one that i know would fit the bill and how much nicer it would look and feel – little things like this all add to the harmony and flow in our homes.
I agree elainearthey, just even putting paperwork into a tidy pile makes a difference.
There is a colloquial saying which was used a lot when I was a child (pre-dishwasher days)..’sidling the pots’, it means to gather them together in an ordered fashion, cutlery, glassware etc.
Again, Suzanne I loved reading this today.
What stood out for me today was the part – “I have discovered that it is actually not hard to keep it this way, it just takes commitment and discipline to live like this, founded simply upon feeling how lovely it feels to be in a tidy and organised home.”
I’m feeling this is much the same for my body. I know how lovely it feels to live in a light (not by weight, but by quality) body that is full of love, and that it is actually not hard to live this way either – there just needs to be loving commitment and discipline to that being the quality I choose to live by. Part of me still irks at the responsibility that it is all my choices, but really – how much more empowered could you get?
I have been pondering on your comment that when your home feels ‘ordered’
“There is less that can surprise me (surprises take away my steadiness)”.
I agree, surprises can rock me too, particularly if they are unpleasant surprises. So, maybe, when we do not have the order we would like in our home, it’s a reflection of the disregard we have in our lives. We are not following through with things, instead, leaving things undone, which in turn creates openings for energy to come in and blindside us.
I also realize how amazing I feel when my room is tidy, when I spend time making space for me. I also resist sometimes doing it, like it is a waste of time, but really it is the best time I can spend, cause as you say, there is anxiety that comes from simply being in disorder. I love the feeling of my tidy room and your blog helps me recommit to keeping it clear and in harmony, what a different feeling.
Suzanne, I agree with what you are saying. For me, disorder is disharmony and it shows me the disregard I am in, because I love order and harmony.Every time I am coming home and it’s tidy I feel joy.The same with my car or at my workplace.To keep it tidy, I appreciate my self and everything.
To be able to introduce simple life changes in an adult life is worth writing about. How many adults make resolutions with regard to diet, lifestyle, habits etc, and yet as age progresses the old paradigms seemingly become harder to shift. However … if self-care is introduced and noticed then it becomes easier to build new foundations and re-create ourselves.
Yes, I am also an orderly person 😉
I am feeling now also it is what I have in my space also that affects how I feel: if it is needed or not, if it feels heavy or light, if it confirms me in my beauty or not. Staying with some women and observing their embrace of femininity and feminine style has really allowed me to surrender to feel that embracing this feminine style in my life was what I was missing in my home.
I keep being drawn back to your article Suzanne. It has layers, in the same way that creating more order in my home has layers too. It’s on ongoing process and I can choose to go deeper and the more I do, I feel the order will change. The things I choose to have around me now, may well hold no purpose in a few weeks, months or even years.
Thank you Alison Pearson for your comment about ‘layers’ in this article and our home. It has supported me in seeing something in a new way with choosing to go deeper. It is so true – ‘things I choose to have around me now, may well hold no purpose in a few weeks, months or even years”.
I have recently felt some gorgeous ornaments I have enjoyed for years have to move on, they no longer feel true in our home.
Hello Suzanne, I loved reading your blog as I totally relate …I don’t chase zebras 😉 but I do love the smallest details of making simple, loving choices that support me and the space that surrounds me. Thank you for writing this so clearly and beautifully.
I come back to this blog often as I find it very supportive. Lately I am seeing how much I use clutter and complication to make my life difficult when it is actually quite simple to sort things out. If I allow myself to see the truth (that it has been my choices that led to the chaos in the first place) I can begin cleaning up the complication in my life one step at a time.
Suzanne I LOVE order.
It is transformative and power-full and allows
s p a c i o u s n e s s .
When I have order in my life all is well.
Thank YOU for this blog and opening up the conversation that has followed. 🙂
I agree Kathrynfortuna, the s p a c i o u s n e s s that naturally comes with order, detail and a commitment to life is absolutely exquisite and forever e x p a n d i n g !
I love creating space to get organized! I did not use to be like this, I was always one of the most disorganized people I knew. This has definitely changed as I take more care of myself I am realizing how loving it is to be prepared. Great blog Suzanne thank you
I love returning to this blog as there are still so many areas in my house that need addressing – a constant refinement required. “I decided to ponder on the level of order and structure I have had throughout my life.” If my house is a reflection of my body and my life – which it is – a good clear out is called for.
This is so true for me too, sueq2012. I have ‘sorted’ most rooms in our home (and my car), but my bedroom and office are still calling for attention, and they have been for a long time! Perhaps this is a reflection of my putting off sorting out some aspects of my life, where (again) some things are beautifully ordered and some things not so? This requires more pondering as I am very much aware that order and structure are very important for me. Or, perhaps, no more pondering-just action!
“I have come to realise that I am disturbed by disharmony,” – yes me too! And it feels great to know this. Because I know that I am disturbed by disharmony, I know I have the choice to do something about it.
I’ve found that the level of order and structure in my life is determined by each and every step i take. When I walk or take a step with me, being present and choosing this quality, it has an effect of infusing other parts of my life to naturally fall into order. When I don’t walk with me, i’m walking with another energy, no matter what energy it is, the way I go about my day is affected, which will lead to being disorganised in other parts of my life.
Organising with quality, presence and order is key in my life. I feel how supportive this is especially in my home, at work in my class and even in my car.
I have learnt that it allows space for me to be and it creates a welcome feeling for others.
It’s amazing how the state of our homes or surroundings has a direct affect on how we feel and how we think. A clear environment supports clear thinking. It is so worth taking the time to organise our life.
Well said Rebecca, I agree it is very much worth taking the time.
I would like to add that it feels very supportive when I choose to clean out a cupboard or a set of draws and changes the feeling of that patch of the house, even if the cupboard draws are closed! Then simply wiping down and dusting areas that are already de-cluttered, seems to also have an effect on how that part of the house feels quite noticeable after doing it, if I am wiping or dusting with a quality of presence. I appreciate how housework can be about building sensitivity to my feeling.
I have noticed how there are little patches of my home that have not been attended to, eek! It is amazing as I can feel how lovely my place feels when it is all clean and shiny. Need to get to every square inch and rebuild some consistency around that. Thanks Suzanne and the other bloggers, the reflection that is offered here is appreciated.
We have just moved house and I must say that I love putting it into order. When I was younger my room was always ordered awesomely (mum said she thought I had OCD at one stage) over time that changed as I got caught up in life though. I can feel how keeping on top and taking time to put things back where they belong is living simply though, not rushing around but taking care with things. At work my station is ordered well and I always leave it lovely. I wonder why I’m different in that department at home ?!
I can really feel this too Emily, ‘I can feel how keeping on top and taking time to put things back where they belong is living simply, not rushing around but taking care with things’, I used to be very messy and thought it was very cool to live like this growing up, since meeting my very tidy and ordered partner I now love having the house tidy and really enjoy putting things in their place. And have noticed that simple things like turning labels round to face forwards in cupboards and keeping drawers ordered feels very supportive and every time I open these drawers I can feel a loveliness and order reflecting back at me.
I can relate Emily to being ordered in some areas and allowing complexity to pile up in others. Increasingly I feel though how energetically the energy is heavy and does not flow when things are not in their right place or I am keeping something that I don’t use anymore.
mmm.. I have felt the same Jenny definitely. Then I end up feeling off the mark myself…
“I have always loved watching nature documentaries as it never ceases to amaze me how innately in tune animals live with the land, the weather and with one another.” – I love watching nature documentaries too Suzanne, I also love watching nature live and love the harmony of the animal and bird life around the pond near to where I live.
I totally agree Natalie, I love watching nature too and the reflection it offers. On many occasions I have been feeling a lot in my body and “I think” there is something wrong with me. Something in nature touches me deeply and I have a moment that lifts me. I come back from the de-clutter of my mind to the harmony that is deep within. Everything is not so bad..
I have started clearing out my closet where it is quite a mess and it already feels amazing. It does not matter if you can see the mess or not, it is there, all the time. I am just fooling myself thinking that when I can’t see it, it is less of a mess. It’s about the energy, and not whether your eyes can see it or not.
So true Mariette, it is about the energy, and how the house feels is a reflection of the care we have chosen to put in, or not.
My work schedule has changed recently which finds me working on the weekends so I have been playing with my days to figure out which day will be my “house day”. I found myself at home on my own which is very rare and I realised that it has been a very long time since I felt like attending to my house. The house is clean and in order but I realised that I had fallen into an efficiency or a get it done mode and my mark of the house feeling OK was whether it felt clean and ordered and everything worked. It feels like there is a level of nurturing that is missing. In the past I used my house as a status symbol and I was very attached to it, having a bit of a “keeping up with the jones” mentality which made me miserable. I was house proud and using it define myself and my success, by identifying some of the beliefs I had around self worth and acceptance it has really changed for me and now the focus is much more and what is supportive for the whole family equally rather than trying to keep up appearances. Generally ( I live with two teenage boys) my house is now supportive and organised and clean and now it feels it can go to a whole other level.
Suzanne I can so relate. This year I began a new job which can be quite demanding on my time. At the beginning it seemed incomprehensible that I could still keep a sense of order, flow and sacredness at home. Which of course was not true. What brought me out of this momentom was feeling the impact it was having on my parter. Leaving my office desk messy meant that he had to work in a room that wasn’t supporting him. I actually began to feel that it was harder work to try and wade through the disregard. It’s funny, I tried to make the excuse that I didn’t have enough time to clean. But in the long run when you take everything into account it actually takes more energy and strain to maintain the mess.
“how wonderful and refreshing a tidy, orderly room felt, and I too felt open and clear in my thinking.” It is great when we reflect out equally our home and ourselves, our lives – the clarity – there is no difference – it is all one.
‘I have come to realise that I am disturbed by disharmony’ – thank you Suzanne for these words as they so aptly describe how I feel when my home feels at all muddled. When my home is feeling beautiful and ordered there is a harmony between my body and home.
I have recently returned home from doing some healing courses at the Sound Foundation in Somerset and although my home felt the same as when I left, it now requires some redefining and refining so that my home once more is in harmony with my body. The healing courses touch every aspect of my life and allow me to re-attune to the world around me.
I love this observation, Suzanne: “It seemed to me their success depended on their ability to carry out the hunt with a high degree of order and precision.” My question, then is, “What is the source of that order and precision/” The conversation stopper response of ‘that’s just instinct’ really leaves me feeling that that is not an adequate response to a phenomenon as profound as this precision. Any thoughts anyone?
“I have discovered that it is actually not hard to keep it this way, it just takes commitment and discipline to live like this, founded simply upon feeling how lovely it feels to be in a tidy and organised home”. Yes, commitment and discipline, two things I am presently working on. I am in the process of gradually working through the complete house, getting rid of things I have not been using, shelf by shelf, drawer by drawer. It feels so lovely when I occasionally find I now have an empty drawer or shelf.
It is so easy to let things go for a short time, then it takes so long to tidy up again. I am working hard now on making myself put things away from the beginning, rather than having that pile of clothes on the chair or cupboard top. But the house feels so very different, much lighter, when I have made this commitment effort. And yes, I feel much more supported by my home now.
I am with you Beverley …. I’m also going through my house, bit by bit. What is interesting is that whilst I know I am going to go through each room, I don’t have a schedule, I find I’m doing things when I’m impulsed to do so, which feels much more supportive and less draining. In the past I would have had a list and methodically, and rather relentlessly, started to go through each room, but I would also have become overwhelmed and probably given up after a few rooms, after picking the easy ones to do first!!! Doing this ‘organising’ in my rhythm feels completely different, not hard work, I am actually enjoying it, especially the results.
Hi Alison, I am finding similar to you. I don’t have a schedule either, am doing what impulses me. I agree with you, trying to do room by room just does not work for me, it feels too much to look at at once. I will have a sudden impulse to do a particular drawer or shelf, something that feels so right at the time. But gradually it makes such a difference. I even have a couple of empty drawers now, it feels amazing. And I am not tempted to put things in them as I would have done in the past. It will be interesting to see how much empty space I eventually have.
thank you Alison, I too find that when I just let the process happen, rather a ‘go and tidy your room’ type of activity, I clear up in a very different way
What you share is absolutely true: also for the body. If it is “organized” well, it feels much better to want to live in it and express from it. When there’s no trash from the last movie in some corners or no middle sized chaos because of emotional ridings inside the body or not just too much dinner – it feels clear and light to walk such a body!
So true Shirley-Ann. For me it was interesting to discover in how many actions I tried to do multi-tasking and that with that I completed none of the tasks I attended to with the level of quality that could have been there if I had addressed them one after another. What was interesting to experience was that when I only address one task at a time and with full presence, the handling and finishing is even faster, than when I try the multi-tasking way.
Great point about multi-tasking Michael, I used to wake up each morning with a ‘to do’ list in my head, multi task it, and finish the day exhausted. Now that I address each task as it comes up, you are right, they actually get done quicker, with no exhaustion.
I love how you say, when you have an ‘ordered life’ ….. ‘I am truly comforted because my surroundings support me’. That is so beautiful, and I can so relate to what you are sharing. As a consequence of the loving choice to honour yourself, by taking care of your surroundings and having some order there, the love feeds you back and your surroundings become a constant reflection of that loving choice.
I absolutely love organising how my home is and feeling into what needs to change.
I am often impulsed to do a big re-order, throw things away and change up where things are. I’ve never really seen it as a constant evolution – but now I read this- yes that is exactly what it is! Always refining, looking at things and letting go. Its a beautiful feeling.
What a beautiful anology with lions and order and harmony thank you I love it. The detail, harmony and order in my home is so important and to everywhere and supports enormously and lovingly and is a forever clearing and evolving.
After having a deep clean of my living room, clearing away the cobwebs and all the old dust, I felt somehow more supported on a new level of order, which for me was a new level of genuinely expressing myself.
I feel keeping my living space free of clutter and in an orderly way is supportive and creates ease and more space to express in my life.
One morning instead of heading off to work and leaving my home as it is. I thought is there a better way that I can leave my space? So I put little things away shifted others so they locked more organised and although only subtle it felt better.
When I got home and opened the door instantly I felt how beautiful it was to come home to a place where the level of care for myself and my home had gone to a new level. It reinforced my new marker and has made way for the next level of development.
I agree Daniel, small changes do make a difference.
One member of our family is always plumping up cushions, if you go out of the room, when you come back the cushion will have been re-organised; but I have started with my cushions, before I go out and before I go to bed and yes, it does make a difference.
Another thing that strikes me more and more of late… is that our days can be so full, and yet it’s so important to continue to pay attention to how our homes are set up – as in, do our homes change with us, if we ourselves are evolving, changing and growing?
For what was once ordered and arranged in our homes to support us, is also called to evolve and change as we do – and thus another level of loving ‘order’ requires embarking upon. And once again, it’s so Great when the space is allowed to make such adjustments… ahhhh……
Yes…I love the ‘ahhhhh’ breathing space that the bringing of more order and harmony into my home creates too, Victoria: ahhhhhhhhhh…………love that feeling in the diaphragm too!
haha Coleen… Aaahhhhh in unison with you 😉 Brings such a spacious feeling to the chest and body…
Simply yet powerfully stated Suzanne, thank-you. I agree entirely – more order, less anxiety. More order, and I feel held and ‘home’ in my body and self…
Not everything in my life is as ordered as I would love it to be, but boy do I appreciate when I get to spend time even on one aspect that has felt to wait far too long to be addressed.
The decision to bring more order is not just about the end result. I have found, particularly in my home, that the process of choosing to bring more order is as important and cleansing, probably more so, than the end result.
I also find that bringing order is a continuous process, it needs our constant attention and care.
This is nice Alison, not building order for an end result but appreciating what comes from a commitment to this as a process.
Well said Joel, it is actually the process that is interesting and enjoyable. It can present many different things to look at and as you have said Alison once you have completed the process the clarity, order and space you can feel and see is amazing.
I agree Alison. The process itself for me is transformative. Often taking me from disharmony to harmony all with the placement of an object. It’s in the quality of how I place it that counts 🙂
I couldn’t agree more Suzanne. I absolutely love the feeling when my home is clear and tidy. I’ve moved quite a few times over the last 5 years and each time I discard more and more stuff that I’d been hanging on to. Now my home is almost clear of clutter (as I write this I realise there are still a couple of pockets left to go which will be gone once I get home!) and supports me in the most incredible way.
I really loved reading the way that choosing order over complexity has simplified your life.
Lovely Shirley-Ann I hadn’t thought about it like this before, but it feels to be part of the Universal order and how we all fit in naturally when we play our part.
I remember someone saying to me a long time ago, that from order great things can happen. It felt, at the time, like one of those catch phrases with little meaning, but it has stayed with me and was refreshed by this article. I know there is a deep level of self care when I am taking care of my environment, be that at home, work or when I a travelling. Returning to order (tidying a drawer/cupboard etc.) has also become an amazing tool for me to check in with myself and re-establish steadiness when things get racy. I love the analogy with nature and the opportunity to respect all that nature reflects to us. Thank you, Suzanne.
Wow Matilda I really needed this stop moment, I have found that as a I get engaged in the “busy-ness” of life my order organization often goes out the window, I believe because I have less “time” then that care isn’t needed however this means I get caught up in what is going, get racy for the sake of being racy and generally end up being unproductive however I know what you present here is that order is clearly an opportunity to bring us back to still steadiness, I know that from this space I am supported with the work load for the day – I can work much more efficiently, be far more productive, and be heaps less tired by the end of it.
A clear and honest tribute to order! And that supporting ourselves with this is a really loving and practical thing to do. Thank you, Oliver
Thank you Suzanne for sharing….a very inspiring blog. I feel their will be more de-cluttering going on, in a lot of homes now, after reading this blog.
I agree JodyBladin, I was inspired to refold all the jumpers in my jumper draw today and now it feels very lovely 🙂
Jodybladin, I agree! I keep coming back to this blog and reading the comments to remind me how the simple things make such a huge difference and when we don’t look at them then just like mess and clutter around the house it piles up!!
It sure does James.
“I remember how wonderful and refreshing a tidy, orderly room felt, and I too felt open and clear in my thinking.” Such a true statement. Whenever I have cleared out clutter or organised my room etc…I too have felt like you said in your statement which feels so spacious and free like a weight has been lifted.
Whenever I feel scatterbrained or find it difficult to focus my mind on the task ahead I know I have let things get untidy and I wont get clarity until I de clutter. I am usually drawn to things neglected, the dish rack, the sink underneath, the cupboards, and the shed. There are also lots of little jobs I have been meaning to do and started but not completed, I have to either do them, or let them go. Nothing is of higher priority than my clarity of mind. When I have had a clean up and de clutter, I feel a lot better, and my thoughts are clear again. I am always amazed at the difference this makes, and I wonder how I let things slip. Thank you for bringing up this most neglected topic.
Very true Bernard, when I let things get untidy, they stick to me like glue. I keep getting thoughts about it. Then I postpone it because I don’t feel like doing it or I come up with some other excuse. It just gets worse. Every time I do a task or I tidy something up, it feels so great.
Simply and yet so true Mariette, the way in which we do our tasks such as this has been an amazing process of developing my tenderness and presences.
I agree Mariette, those undone things don’t go away and stand out like a sore thumb. Postponing it because I don’t feel like it leaves a feeling of neglect in my body, a sense of guilt and yet when I tackle a task or even tidy a small part of what needs to be done, there is a sense of achievement and I feel great.
Me too Bernard. Disorder around me makes be feel disordered. It’s amazing how attending to the finer details can add to our clarity and quality.
I can say that if I have let anything slip then it is a reflection of me also letting something slip in my rhythm or routine or the way i am with myself.
I feel the same Bernard where now my wife and I lock in 1 hour each week to do the same standard clean. It’s interesting just before I begin there is much distraction with the thoughts I have to put it off. I am aware of this and know how amazing it feels afterwards every time, so I get on with it.
It now flows and after weeks of cleaning it is easier to clean and it is not a chore anymore but a welcomed joy of work.
This consistent cleaning as supported and shifted the whole house to more cleaning / decluttering adventures.
I love this Bernard ‘Nothing is of higher priority than my clarity of mind.’ It’s so true isn’t it? 🙂
You make a great point Bernard, and I relate to how having an untidy space affects me on many different levels.
You would not think that leaving things in a mess or without order could create such complexity, but as I have grown older I can definitely feel the direct relationship with this and the way I think/feel when everything is so out of order.
Awesome blog.
Me too Thomas. When I was younger leaving the toys (usually Lego or dolls!) out as a mess didn’t seem like that big of a deal, but recently in the last few years I’ve become more aware of how leaving things lying around is very disregarding and isn’t very supportive to come back to.
I know exactly what you mean Susie, my room was always a mess growing up apart from when my mum would tidy it for me!! The problem was I carried this with me and now have to make a concerted effort to keep things tidy – definitely still a work in progress!!!
I would absolutely agree Susie, and the feeling when things are left can really affect my next movement so I have become very aware of how important this is to not only me but everyone else around me.
So true Susie, it is not very nice to come back to. I notice that more and more when I return from a day in the office, or some time away from the house and can so feel the energy in which I left it. Great thing to be aware of.
Exactly Susie. Letting things just lie around seemed so simple in so many moments, yet afterwards I experienced when facing the chaos I left again, that sorting it out before I left it would have taken a few minutes. Later, it took considerably longer and disturbing me a lot as it was not my natural flow anymore. It was really like I was floating gently with a river and suddenly there was this dam blocking my journey forward that I needed to get out of the way with much effort.
I feel the same Thomas. Now I need to make sure my surroundings feel ordered before I continue with any form of work or preparation in the true quality I feel myself to be- when once many many years ago I functioned in the disorder.
absolutely Thomas I could see this with my kids as well when they were struggling with school or friends their bedroom would reflect this.
Fantastic Thomas and so true. It really does create complexity in our lives to leave clutter lying around. It feels so much clearer when we create order for ourselves.
Suzanne, so simple explained yet covering a huge topic in different areas of life, including private and business.
Not only in rooms and workplaces but also in all sorts of relationships a ‘tidying up’ is very refreshing and brings to the point what is really needed and important.
This is a great point you make about tidying up relationships, by this I understand it to be letting go and saying ‘no more’ to old unloving ways of being in relationship with each other.
It’s vitally important to say no to the old stuff that’s holding us back. For without the no, there is a yes.
Great point Oliver
And also the relationship with ourselves. I am untidying unloving ways with myself like the way I go to the train station. It used to be an ‘untidy’ (e.g.rushy way). I am now leaving earlier, often bag packed night before and lunch ready refrigerator. What a difference that makes. From an often disharmonious start of a workday to an harmonious start.
Yes being untidy with our posture, the way we wear our clothes, our mannerisms can be very untidy too. Great to look at it with a wider awareness.
It’s like each room of our house represents the whole of our life and how every part needs to be consistently attended to. A house is such a great reflection for this. If that consistency isn’t maintained, pockets of neglect and disorder start to creep in and before you know it, it is a mess. What a brilliant reminder we have at our fingertips every day.
This is great Vicky. Each room represents our lives and our whole lives deserve order and harmony and great care.
Yes love your twist on tidying up Sonja. How much tidying up is there to do when you take a step back and have a real honest look into what is going on out there and around you. My perception of this is to take full responsibility for what’s going on out there by looking deep within inside you and observe what is there to tidy up, that impacts on others.
I cannot start the day if my bed is not made up and if I start packing, I make neat piles so I have an overview. If there is clutter in a cupboard, I get restless and my attention keeps on that clutter, even though doing other things. Order makes me breathe, it gives me space.
To clean up after myself and with that complete this round is saying ‘yes’ to an order that will offer me my next evolution/expanding point.
How wonderful, Suzanne, that you learned from the lions, and inspired by Serge Benhayon, brought order into your life. Personally, I’ve never been able to live without order. Actually in science, one of the defining characteristics of life is order – producing order from chaos. We are in essence, order. When friends proudly speak of their ‘organized chaos’, it has always felt to me like something else is going on underneath – as if they know, like you, that it’s not true to their essence but is covering some hurt, some vulnerability, some excuse to avoid the discomfort of facing responsibility for whatever the issue is. One criticism I get quite often about my orderliness is that it’s so much work to keep things tidy. Well, sure, if you make a mess then eventually you have to clean it up and then it’s a big, boring job, wading through your own past. Isn’t it even more work to have to clean it up? What about not making a mess in the first place? Prevention being better than cure. I find that ‘cleaning up as you go’ means no ‘double handling’ and thus is actually way less work in the long run – everything I put my hands on, I deal with lovingly right to the finish: used, cleaned, put away, all in one flow, no having to go back to it. Very freeing! Nothing nagging at the back of my mind that ‘will have to be done later’. And when I come back later to that space or item to use it again, eg, kitchen benches, there is a glowing, uncluttered, beautiful feeling and space ready for me to work on without having to clear anything from the stale past. Awesome!
Thank you for sharing this Suzanne. I feel that order provides me with a consistency and simplicity that supports my activity. I know that if my work space is disordered I often have to reorganise it before I can be truly productive again.
An order and how to place the items is a very clearing activity for me. As I get more and more aware how my body feels in connection to the order in the house I feel how important it is for my wellbeing and flow in life to have an order in my house. Neglecting this I neglect me. Slowly I start to feel this more and more in my body and understand how order supports me being in my body.
I’m in the middle of a very big house cleansing. Every drawer, cupboard, file is being cleared out, what is not needed is being thrown away. It’s a big process and is taking a while to go through, but it feels pretty awesome. There are boxes stacked up ready for a full house paint, then back with everything again (or could I say half of what we there before). It is very needed. So much has shifted within my body in the past few months, much (well all) of the house needed to be re-imprinted and re-ordered.
Ha ha Suzanne, I’m re-reading your blog after just putting away the clothes that had found a resting place on my lovely comfy armchair over the weekend – my room feels so much more spacious 😉
Hello Hannah Flanagan, for me it’s funny how just a few clothes can turn into a lot of clothes if left for long. It’s like they breed or something amongst each other. Life is like that, more brings in more, so if you put away and have all the little things in order then this will support more of that but if you leave little things out and miss them, well they will soon lead to bigger things missed and all of a sudden it would seem you have a big mess to deal with.
What you offer Ray is very true a little mess supports a growing mess very quickly. I find the same with cleaning…simpler to clean as I go rather than letting it build up and then take much longer. And weeds these are another pet of mine… it saves a huge amount of time and work if they don’t go to seed!
Hello Sandra Williamson, I am a big fan of a little bit consistently rather than a lot not often. I find it as you say about the cleaning, “simpler to clean as I go rather than letting it build up and then take much longer.”
This is so true Ray, a mess does seem to breed more mess, just like more order in our lives like a tidy cupboard and we know more of that is truly supportive. Living in a small home with 2 boys this mess can breed quickly and when they’re not here, I enjoy re-ordering our home to support us all when they’re back. We all do a little as we go along but it always seems to builds up, Lego pieces here, a bit of a broken toy there, lunchbox pots put away in too much of a rush and viola the chaos has begun. For the past couple of days I’ve been feeling a bit of a decluttering coming on, I can feel how these little pockets of mess have effected the disharmony of the house and in turn my thoughts and my sleep, great to point this out Suzanne or I wouldn’t have put the two together. I know that after this I’ll feel so much clearer. Great blog and thank you for the inspiration and from all the comments that follow. This has given me much to ponder on.
Hello Candida and it’s great to bring order or “re-ordering” to your home. I have a house full of young people as well and I find bringing them in to be a part of the order supports us all. Anytime I do anything in the home I do my best to involve others, it’s great support for me and I know when they have had a hand in it, it usually sticks for longer.
Suzanne’s blog inspired me to do the very same Hannah , my body and the room now feels so much more spacious. These simple loving acts are so powerful.
This is a great blog and life changing for anyone who is ready to make life simple. I work hard and put effort, focus and attention in making my life simple in every way possible.
Order and flow for me is my middle name as I feel disturbed when there is no order. We have recently moved house and down sized. The first things that needed order were kitchen essentials and our clothes and toiletries to support us daily. For me it is all about the detail and I have always felt God is in the detail. These small things that I choose to give my time to rewards me beyond words and it allows me the space to look at what is next that needs to be addressed. This in not OCD but a natural way to live that keeps the magic alive if you know what I mean.
Great blog! From being possibly one of the messiest people in the world, I now have come to love order, it’s something I have to work on non-stop, but it’s difficult to understand those days when I had to create a path to my bed through all the stuff on the floor!
Thanks Suzanne reading your blog has me taking a serious look at all the areas of my life that lack consistant order like my work van for example.Work has so much more flow when the van is in order, it is a great felling to tidy and clear out what is not needed but even better when it is kept that way without any major works needed.
Hello kevmchardy it was the same for me and also to look at areas I thought were ‘tidy’ but also now need a little more time and care. This blog gave me a chance to have a look across all areas of my life as I said whether I thought they were tidy before or not. A great opportunity for a clean out. Thank you Suzanne Anderssen and kevmchardy.
Yes, of course, and that is the power of everyday, practical consistency – love it – thank you.
“I still seemed to know where everything was though, so I prided myself on living in organised chaos.” I did this too – my home looked somewhat chaotic – but I did know where to find everything, papers etc. I much prefer an ordered existence and office but things can still get dumped – to be dealt with later when I have more time. This has to change. I love the difference I feel after a tidy-up.
My dislike of disharmony is growing from out of the ashes of my past and its magpie collection of everything I felt I might need one day. I have been giving and or throwing away, things in the past I felt had a value. I now have the shoe on the other foot; “one mans junk, is another mans treasure “ I had been the later. I am now increasing some one else’s Treasure piles to grow or for a needed item in a new home were it can be used. As my heavy pile of ex-treasures ebbs away it allows me to feel lighter.
I love this Steve. Sharing the load and the treasure.
I used to be able to have organised mess in certain parts of my home, I now find that order is what is needed in my home. I feel I cannot start a new project or complete things as well when there are loose ends around me. Thank you Suzanne for the reminder and inspiration to bring more order and simplicity to my home.
I find that when the home is messy I can’t find my flow and my mind feels muddled, I find it is hard to live in a mess but sometimes I don’t see it and live with it for a while putting up with it until I choose to tidy up and then feel the difference this makes.
Me too SusanG I find it easy to ignore and so not see mess in the house. When I choose to tidy things up it always feels so much better, however the more and more I learn about keeping things tidy the more I see it as an everyday, every moment choice rather than a once a week or once every so often chore.
I agree SusanG and James, messiness is complication and disorder….what I find is that after a full moon, there is a pull towards tidying up, throwing out, organising, and re-ordering things as if to follow the waning of the moons cycle. It feels very natural and the place/home feels so clear and flowing.
I can very well relate to that. Sometimes I simply do not want to see how a little messy touch is creeping in and its extent only becomes obvious once I have tidied up again. For me there are two reasons why I let it creep in: I either do not want to take a step that needs to be taken and I escape into ‘chaos’ or I override the feeling that I would need rest and in exhaustion spread disorder around myself.
I’ve always felt the state of our homes and rooms reflects the state of our selves. If we are disorganised in our external environments, we’re most likely disorganised internally, down to the level of our cells. Which brings to mind another connection: I’m thinking here of a prison cell or a monk’s cell – small rooms, stripped to the bare minimum. Whilst these could very well be seen as a deprivation, there is something there about absence of distraction – as if they are so to bring the focus back to the individual, encouraging reflection. We can hold the echoes of that in our homes, sensing when too much stuff is keeping us away from the truth of our simple, unadorned selves.
It’s funny now I might have a little flip out when things aren’t put back to there spots or not put away, younger I remember throwing things straight in the cupboard when the cupboard couldn’t close it was that time again
I read recently that mess is stuff that does not have a home or is not in its home. It made me ponder the expression “I am a mess” . The times in my life I would describe as ‘messy’ were certainly times where I did not feel at home in the world or even in my own body. Thank you for bringing a whole new awareness to my understanding of order and mess Suzanne.
I have bursts of getting things in order, but find it hard to maintain the order, even though I know I feel better when things are in order.
‘I have come to realise that I am disturbed by disharmony’. What a powerful statement Suzanne. I feel this too. And as the world is in constant disharmony we can be constantly disturbed. It is up to us to take care of our own personal environment so we can be less disturbed, and to have a chance of contributing to a more harmonious world.
Reading you comment Rebecca I could feel how important and very supportive it is for me the have strong and harmonious foundations in my life. The more I deepen and strengthen these in my everyday life the clearer it is to identify disharmony around me. When my foundations are strong I’m not buffeted by another’s or the world’s chaos. It is so much simpler to observe what’s going on in the world and not absorb it.
“Disturbed by disharmony,” how true that is! When we live in a mess we often do not realise what is disturbing us. Living in a mess means lack of clarity, space, and waste of time. whereas orderliness in life and in the home supports us to have more time and space. When we are in disharmony it doesn’t feel like that at all, it feels like everything takes so long and time is running by us, that is when panic sets in. I love what you say about self discipline, Suzanne, and it is all about learning to love and respect ourselves.
Often if I’m feeling a bit out of sorts, just 5 minutes of tidying up the smallest of things that are slightly out of pace in the house can help to bring me back to feeling great.
Absolutely Daniella the same for me. Tidying and organising connects me right back into my body. It brings physical harmony to my body and all of the space around me. Amazingly powerful.
You’ve made a great point Annemarie00, if we focus on our body and being present and gentle with it then the quality of our thoughts change, and we are less liky to have negative or self loathing thoughts.
Yes it’s actually amazing that something so simple can make us feel so amazing!
Gyl you also got me pondering “on the level of order and structure I have had throughout my life.” I realise that order was something I had always enjoyed in my immediate environment, like a tidy room or an organised work surface. But try to tell me that order and structure in the unfolding of my day was a supportive thing and I would have swiped the notion aside because I thought it stifled creativity and freedom to choose – which of course it does – but not the true creativity and true freedom of choice… In fact, order in my life and in my day, in my environment and in my body are vital to be able to connect to what is true within me and therefore express from that. An order that I am re-learning and something that now cannot be denied.
Before I left for this year’s retreat, I cleaned my bedroom, changed the sheets on my bed, etc before I left and the room felt so lovely. When I returned from the retreat, I walked into my bedroom and was met with what I’d left behind…it felt amazing to be met with the love and care I’d taken and it felt so supportive…like landing on a soft pillow that cushioned me before I headed back to work the following day.
Yes Sandra, I enjoy doing this too, preparing my room for when I come back and it always feels fresh and inviting to return to – a really great support.
‘I have discovered that it is actually not hard to keep it this way, it just takes commitment and discipline to live like this, founded simply upon feeling how lovely it feels to be in a tidy and organised home.’ I agree, it dos feel really lovely and supportive to live this way, anything less, is settling for less.
It’s great to see and feel that by working to create a supportive order at home much of the complexities of modern life fall away or perhaps because of the order we are able to bring simplicity to all aspects of life. I know the more order I have, the more supportive I feel and the more time and space there is in my day. Then if something is out of order its easier to spot and address. In the same way as order supports order I can now see how complexity breeds complexity.
Over the last year I have been throwing and clearing things away at work and there is a sense of being able to breath each time I clear a space and make order.
I can relate Julie to that sense of being able to breath when I clear and make space. It is like my body can let go deeper and there is a sense of spaciousness. It feels so great in my body that I find it difficult now not to want to be tidy and orderly. When this is in my external environment, I know that I also feel this on the inside and is a call to look at this.
It is so simple and so clear. I feel it from this article and the comments – having a foundation of order literally gives me the space to breathe.
Hi Gyl, I am prompted to share another awareness that I have in this past week or so in regards to ‘order’ and harmony in our lives, our minds, our homes – and I have just this past week or so embarked on endeavouring to bring order to my ‘cluttered computer’ – this is not easy for me, simple it may be to some, but from my position finally an acceptance that I needed assistance in this quarter – and thus have now aquiesced and called for back up – how amazing that feels to finally take the steps to bring a little order (from my perspective) into this technological object that sits on my desk that quite often disturbs the stability of my gall bladder. Thank you for your blog, I found it to be quite inspiring.
I find it interesting that in chaos we are choosing for things to be complicated, if there is no natural flow, order or rhythm to life it feels like a mess and a struggle – one that we are choosing when it doesn’t need to be this way, it can be the complete opposite.
I have found that actually everybody likes order and rhythm even though not everyone might live it or admit it. It is something that we are naturally pulled to.
I agree, I used to think that I was fine with disorder but that just wasn’t the case at all. I love living in an ordered environment.
I agree Jane. Imagine having a KPI at work that was based on maintaining a clean and tidy workspace…I feel there would be less complication and complexity because people would have the clarity with no distraction or ‘noise’ from a messy or chaotic environment.
Hi Suzanne, its easy for those lions, they are complete in just the skin they’re in. They need no accoutrement, they are complete. To hunt they need only hunger and presence,
We once lived a simple life with few possesions and followed the seasons. Now we have a house full of stuff to maintain and keep in order if we are to utillise it all efficiently. This takes much effort and years of our childhood to learn how to do this as we collect more stuff to organize. And if our parents do it for us we never learnt to do it.
I love the flow in my home and my life when things are in order. It just doesn’t feel the same when things are out of place.
Me too Rebecca. I love the order at home, so much so that the way I would describe it when things are out of their natural place is like ‘fingers being scratched down a blackboard’.
It is very timely for me to read your blog now Suzanne as I am in the process of moving home and I don’t want to take old, disorganised ways into my new home.
Organised chaos is for me now something I see is just a way to let my life be more complicated than it needs to be. It takes effort applied to not live in organised chaos but I know that it is well worth it, for organised chaos is still chaotic and so still draining, not a great way to live. Brilliant writing Suzanne!
Yes Stephen G, not to mention the huge amount of energy it takes to finally clean up the ‘organised chaos’.
There is so very much we can learn from natures stunning reflections. Natural rhythm, order and consistency just for starters.
And what I loved about the beginning of this article was the incredible power reflected about working together. One of those lions alone would have been so much less than just a third of 3. A beautiful testimony to the power of brotherhood.
After being inspired by this blog, I am afraid to say that it is back to the wardrobe for me. There is work to be done.
Re inspiration, I love how we all bring for each other all that we need.
I agree Adam… their is so much more I need to de-clutter too.
It was lovely to feel how you were as a child, in defiance of your parents getting you to clean your room. I feel I am still sometimes like this as an adult; I know that doing something will nurture and support me yet I resist doing it, and yet when I do eventually do it, it feels amazing. Thank you Suzanne for your inspiring blog.
This is so true Suzanne, ‘I have discovered that it is actually not hard to keep it this way, it just takes commitment and discipline to live like this, founded simply upon feeling how lovely it feels to be in a tidy and organised home.’ It feels amazing when my house is ordered and tidy, I have been really busy with work and other things the last week and have let the house get into a mess, i have noticed how quickly this can slip and what a different feeling the house has, it is now taking me a while to get the order back into my home and i can feel how it has affected the whole family, my young son even commented that the house feels yucky and he didn’t want to go home!
I had lived most of my life like magpies that are known to collect shiny stuff for their nests. My nest was my shed and my shiny stuff was my tools and electronic stuff. I had gotten to the point where I would have to buy a new whatever… because I could not find the three I had bought in the past… because I couldn’t find them, even though I was sure that last time I used it I put it some where safe so I could find it later. The difference between man and boys is the price of their toys is a true statement. I am currently working on having only one of everything I require and shedding all of my variations of the same tool and getting rid of ones I will never use again like a ring compressor and my valve spring compressor. I am feeling lighter and I can find what I am looking for now… I did buy a torque screwdriver the other day, it’s a new and I don’t have one, but I know where it is.
Shedding from your shed – now you’re torquing! Seriously though, nice work. There is something marvellous about order and harmony and how that feels around us. Everything flows a heck of a lot better.
very funny sjmatsonuk, and it’s true when things become disorganised and in chaos, you can never find what you need, and so you go and buy something new because you can’t find the ones you already have, which adds to the clutter – that should be a red light flashing – “something is wrong with this picture” moment but in the disorganisation it’s too easy to bury that signal and carry on… I have found though that this is part of a symptom of a wider chaos in life, and that I use the chaos to not feel what distresses me about the world – to create a lot of ‘noise’ plus it means I don’t have to take on the responsibility to do something about it, because I’m too busy navigating the disorder.. It is very powerful to get a deeper understanding of why, because in fact I do not like chaos.. I love creating a beautiful ordered space, and love how this creates a powerful support for living, growing and evolving.
You are spot on Anne, the distress just tends to feed the disorder like some giant self-perpetual machine that is running us with no way off this merry-go-round… till the machine brakes and we stop and look at what we have created and what it has done to us. I am also loving my newly recovered space that is slowly appearing as I discard more stuff from my nest.
Ha! I so recognise that chair, Suzanne. When I moved to where I live now I was determined to always put my clothes away and mostly I do, apart from a pile of clean laundry every now and then that needs putting away. What bothers me is paperwork and emails – I have far fewer piles of unfiled papers than I used to have, but my un-filed and un-deleted emails have gone into thousands and your blog is inspiring me to clear those away too, because I feel that I am not in control – there is too much muddle and not enough order and I am missing important communications. That is also how I have lived my life generally, in creating complexity and mess, I missed out on communications with God and my soul, and the more I nurture me and create space, the more I connect and the more I can see and feel.
Emails get me too Carmel, they come in their 100s and seem to rapidly reproduce themselves! And how that feels if it stays out of control is overwhelming and unsupportive. I love how you have linked complexity and miss with missing out on opportunities for clear connection and communication – beautifully observed.
I have to confess, I do still have ‘my chair’, where a few selected garments hang over the arms. I tell myself that they are things that I wear regularly and when I get up early, I don’t want to disturb my husband, so makes sense to have them at easy access. Maybe this is something I need to look at more closely?!
Oh Carmel you are so right, the computer is a big one for gathering clutter. Organizing files and photos into named folders, deleting things dealt with. Emails also need tidying up putting into folders, deleting, or archiving. I can go from being in overwhelm to feeling like I am managing quite well just by de-cluttering
Huge support in here for me – never to be complacent, but as one drawer gets tidy to consider where else needs an application of the ‘order’ brush and my email ‘department’ is definitely one of those. Thank you, Carmel.
I agree, Gyl. Complexity is so draining and what an ease when simplicity in order is chosen. The house definitely shows how much you love making things complex or difficult and how much you allow the flow and simplicity.
I suppose what is lovely about being able to see the dis-order in my home, is that it gives a direct picture of how the experiences of each day are affecting me, and so, a picture of how well I feel I am able to handle all situations.
So true Shami, our homes do reflect our day and how we have lived it. I know that if I allow things to build up on my desk or the kitchen, then it is a sign that I am not attending to all I need to in the day with true care. Clearing the house again is a beautiful way to get back in touch with what needs taking care of and showing me where I might gently adjust my daily rhythm to create a bit more flow in the day.
I love that too. I’ve watched a pile of ‘uni stuff’ grow over the last three months, unable to get to it, but feeling it all the while. Task #1 before getting going again: clear it all up!
I agree Shami. It can sometimes be a bit too exposing :).
It can also be quite comforting to hide amongst the mess. It’s a very good excuse as to why we are not doing other things.
I’m well pleased Nicole!
Suzanne, this blog could have been written by me, I loved a bit of ordered chaos and would profess to knowing exactly where anything was at any given moment, which in fact was not true as when something really mattered, I could never lay my finger on it. With an ordered home we have an ordered mind, no wonder we feel more space when we tidy up.
I know the ‘ordered’ chaos line well Fiona… I can see now that there is no such thing. I can have order or chaos but definitely not both at the same time.
That’s quite cool that example Suzanne with the lions… I really like that. If it’s natural in animals to be so dedicated, precise, disciplined and ordered then it must be natural for us to if we allow it to be…
My teenager like you described in your blog Suzanne is starting to explore the joys of having a tidy bed room and OMG (as he would say) the effect on the rest of the house, especially the relationships is stunning.
That is so cool Zoesherrin, and great to hear the simple rewards in doing this action.
Haha, awesome zoesherrin, it can’t be denied the amazing effect having a tidy room can have – it feels so much more conducive to sleep and rest.
Yes I agree Rebecca Briant, in a ‘tidy’ room it feels like you can breathe clearly and more easily which then supports sleep. Having a clean and well serviced car is no different, they seem to drive and handle better. I found there are many layers to this blog, no matter where I am or how ‘tidy’ things are, there is always room for more, more refinement, more care and detail. Thank you.
I agree Ray, when everything is tidy I feel able to settle.
Hello Rebecca Briant and I agree that with this ‘order’ comes a settle or still feeling inside me. For me that shows that I have a natural sense of order within me, it’s a known in my body. When this known order isn’t honoured I get an unsettled feeling come up. I can choose to deal with this feeling and then be still or settled again or I can ignore this feeling and then deal with everything that may come after. I know which one feels better, the stillness.
A good point Ray – when you study the body it is obvious that there is innate order to its structure and function. It stands to reason that having ordered surroundings will support the order within
Great point Rebecca Briant and it does make absolute sense. The order that is inside us naturally is also what we look for outside, naturally. Possibly if the outside doesn’t reflect what we feel inside then this brings us an anxiety. I have never looked so simply and clearly at this, thank you Rebecca.
I am blown away by the way in which mess can impact myself and others. Up until my early 30s my room was always either spotlessly clean or a complete mess. I arrogantly believed that I could do what I liked in my room as long as nobody else had to see it (if I closed the door). Over the past few years I have got into the habit of always tidying up after myself (even when none else is around) because I can feel how supportive this is.
Recently I did a big clothing clear out (from my already tidy room) and both my flatmate and I could feel the lovely effect this had on the whole house. I now see that my messy room had a big impact on the people I lived with and I can feel how irresponsible and unloving it is when I am messy.
This is beautiful Leonne. I too love sorting through my clothes and refining what is needed.
Yeah Leonie it’s like therapy, a real support in getting a clear head and creating a sense of greater space.
What you write makes a lot of sense Leonne, we can shut the door on an untidy room but we have the feeling that stays that it is not clean and not a supportive environment. How can this not impact on someone who is living in or near that space. We carry everything we do in every action so it stands to reason that a messy room makes for much more than it shows to the eye.
Wow, that’s so interesting Zoesherrin, that the impacts are much more than purely physical or aesthetic. Perhaps tidy rooms = tidy relationships? I can feel how this could be so… Harmony throughout.
I can confirm that Zoe the office room in our house was very disorganised and when it was cleaned up and organised you could literally feel the harmony this bought to the house and the ease it allowed in the family members relationships.
I am hoping that as I am choosing to lovingly bring more order to our home, the ripple effect will continue to every corner of the house, particularly to the bedrooms of my teenage sons! I can feel the responsibility with my own disregard, which has changed beyond belief, however, a little does still remain.
Great sharing Zoe, our teenage daughter uses cleaning and tidying her room as a way to reconnect to herself and not only bringing harmony into the house, but also stillness and presence into her body. Very awesome!
As your lion example shows us Suzanne there is nothing quite like group/team work when it is done with true purpose.
So true, you don’t see disorder in the animal kingdom. Lovely reminder how bringing order to our lives can support us. I love the feeling of being organised but I often compartmentalise rather than allowing order as a whole. Definitely something to be more aware of, thank you.
I wanted to add a couple of other positives to how I feel when my life is organised. The first is I don’t feel overwhelmed.. its easier to see what needs to be done next, and not get buried in the list of uncompleted tasks. The other is I see things and feel them more clearly.. in particular what is the right thing to do next.
I find that having order really helps me to stay focused and to take care. I have a simple routine that before I leave the house I wash my dishes, so that when I return home especially after work, I don’t have any mess to clear up. It’s something that developed quite naturally as I could clearly feel how refreshing it felt to arrive home after dishes had been washed compared to when they hadn’t been.
Beautifully said Suzanne. I feel the disorder so strongly in my life that most of the time it takes precedent over all else as I find it hard to function without a clear space. I can function, but it is so much more supportive when it is clear. Because of this, I am committed and it comes naturally to keep my surroundings clear. In shared spaces, such as an office or my house, when it reaches a certain threshold, I call attention to it or I simply tidy it. I had a beautiful experience in my office this week. I had been away for a few weeks and when I came back it felt a little chaotic. At first I left it but then when I had the space I made a few changes. When my boss walked in hours later, everybody had begun to spread out again, but she asked if I’d been working my magic. She commented on how amazing it is that it’s a felt difference more than anything.
When I was young l loved spending time tidying my wardrobe, my toy cupboard, and any storage places I had for my things. I could spend hours tidying and I enjoyed i so much. I would rather tidy my things than watch TV. If I ran out of tidying inside, I would be out in the garden tidying that up for my father. Something about order made me feel a joy in my body. If there was any mess in the house, I would get upset. As I got older and moved out, i was able to keep my home in order, it was always beautiful to be in that clarity. When I was surrounded by disorder, I could feel this affecting me, but whenever possible i would continue to organise even it was only for that day or that week, I was able to connect to that feeling of joy. Having recently moved to a new home, I really got to understand the impact disorder can have on one’s life. Now having the space again, it is allowing me to re-build that order in my home, and what a beautiful feeling it is to be able to re-connect to that joy again.
Whenever I realize that another wave of tidying up is on the way, I know that I have made another step and that new level of order I feel inside myself needs to be matched on the outside to feel in balance.
Yes Michael … It definitely is an indication of a new level within that calls for my surroundings to be ordered and in harmony. As the energy/ particles in my body change so to does everything I touch is then re adjusted and calibrates to this new level of awareness as everything is part of the whole.
I love this Suzanne. I chuckled a couple of times as I can so relate to all you have shared here. Complexity around me really does affect me – and realising how much it has been holding me back has been lifechanging. Your description here is beautiful – and I love the illustration with the lions. We have so much to learn from nature!
I can really relate to what you are talking about Suzanne. I recently had an eye operation and had to keep my eye closed for several days. In effect I was blind for 48 hours and in immense pain. The thing I really appreciated was the level of order and ritual I live with in my bedroom. I knew where everything was, I knew how to find it, I could ask my mum to place my water glass in the exact spot I place it every night with the handle facing a certain way and I could walk around the house without bumping into anything. It was an amazing experience and one that made me really value how important rhythm, rituals and order are in my life I really.
To bring order, to tidy up and to clean is to take responsibility about what I have done in full. Say I did cook and then I have the responsibility to appreciate & celebrate my meal. : )
And is not the cleaning up also a appreciation of what I have done and what will come next (next cooking-session).
Cleaning brings completion and is preparing for the next round of expression.
I love what you have shared here Sandra. So what you are basically talking about is, following the job through to completion, which feels like it never really ends; it just rolls onto the next moment to be completed and so on. There are steps in every job or thing that we do. In not seeing the cooking of a meal as the end of the task, you continue on with the eating of and enjoyment of your meal, to then clean up within that same equal appreciation, love, and flow…
“Cleaning brings completion and is preparing for the next round of expression’. Love this Sandra – so simple but it captures a lot including why ‘cleaning’ is such an important element in our daily rhythm.
Thank you Anne. By reading your comment it came to me: cleaning is a form to truly respect me, my preciousness and the world.
Sigh…. order and harmony, so deeply satisfying. How I love them ….
When things are in their right place, when we are moving and interacting harmoniously – the sense of spaciousness is unmistakeable.
I know how lovely it feels when I have given myself the time and space to be ordered. It is definitely a work in progress as I find it is ever evolving.
Thank you Suzanne this is such a great reflection and joy to read. Harmony and order around me me with everything effects everything and how I feel and brings an energy of clarity ,joy and love . This is in marked contrast to disorder and mess bringing chaos complexity and disregard which undermines everything. We have a choice with everything and how we live and this is can be magical and loving if we choose it.
I lived for a very long time with what I felt was an “acceptable level” of mess in my life. Dishes would not be done, the chair with clothes piled on it, drawers stuffed with things. While I would not say that I am perfect, I have definitely turned a big corner on this kind of thing, and a large part of that is caring for myself enough and being aware of myself enough to know that leaving dishes all day in the sink feels horrible. It still happens from time to time, but I when it does I can feel the agitation and the disharmony in my living space. There is a definite affect on my body and what I think of myself as well!
I agree Naren, once I have clocked that something is messy it does feel horrible. Interestingly there are still things I have conveniently not yet ‘noticed’, but as each layer gets tidied up, the next layer is there to be exposed, dusted, put away, weeded etc.
Order is our natural way and so it’s no wonder that we feel disharmony or angst or overwhelm when we aren’t working towards it. I can certainly say that disruption, difficulties and complications happily weave their way through life when order is ignored – and I can relate to the flow you describe when living with order in my day Suzanne.
Thank you Suzanne for that great analogy. I hadn’t put together the organisational skills of animals with a clean and tidy room/house/office. Of course everything takes its natural flow when there is space, presence and consciousness.
A simple task of cleaning, or even more, clearing out a room can make a huge difference, it feels lighter, clearer and more spacious. Bring on order and harmony, it feels supportive and true!
Being in harmony is even more affective in group work where the saying ‘many hands make light work for all’ can truly be appreciated by all.
I have also come to embrace order Suzanne – in fact, I found with each house move (and there have been 10 in total in 50 years of marriage) was a great opportunity to de-clutter the space of that specific time frame of collecting that which was relevant to each family situation as it changed – and so I have had many opportunities along the way to learn what was really necessary or not, especially now for this specific cycle of life. It’s as if I have experienced going around in circles many times over coming back to the same spot again, firstly commencing our partnered life in a converted garage, basically two rooms with laundry and toilet add-ons, then moderate size to some very large houses on acreage, to double story enabling the housing of all the family members, back to a cosy apartment with cupboard space now for only that which is relevant. Which brings me to the next item on the agenda this afternoon – bringing order to my office space. Thank you for the reminder.
This simple but powerful blog brings to light how much we are all affected by disorder and disharmony. We may like to deny that it makes a difference to how we feel about ourselves and our lives, but at some level we all know it to be true. We buy magazines, watch TV, buy clothes, makeup and so on, often in the search for feeling good about ourselves. This simple strategy, of purposefully creating the order around you, so you can feel the ease within is gold.
It’s true that by creating order around us we can feel the ease within. It’s one of the most supporting and self-caring things we can do. It creates a solid foundation on which we can move though life from. Every aspect of our life is affected by the order we have at home.
Our homes and offices are where we spend most of our time. When there is orderliness and space within these environments, there is the space for us to be ourselves. Disorder can be very imposing.
That’s a great point – and this way is much cheaper and much more supportive too!
So true Heather. I feel so good about myself when my surroundings are neat and tidy. I just noticed this morning how much I loved seeing that my bed side table was dust-free!
I don’t need the distractions of TV, magazines and shopping so much when I find other more supportive ways to feel good about myself.
Absolutely beautiful Suzanne. I loved reading this blog and love living in an orderly home, it is such a true support. I too feel more settled when my surroundings feel spacious and harmonious, in fact I feel more myself when I live in this way!
I agree so much with what you have written – it feels so clear and spacious to have an ordered home. I regularly go through the house and clear out what is feeling muddled or disorganised. What I’ve been playing with lately is – why do I let it get disordered again? I know it feels amazing when it’s clean and ordered… why do I allow it to drop from this, even if only ever so slightly? Sometimes it feels that I’m not yet quite willing to believe just how simple life can really be, so I add in little pockets of complexity as if to say ‘see, it’s not really simple!’.
Interesting point Brooke, a good question to hold for oneself – are we really able to accept simple and easy or do we want to create little complications every now and then to keep a bit of drama going in our lives? One to ponder on for the day.
Yes, rowenakstewart, disorder has the potential to cause quite a bit of drama, especially when you are looking for something you need but cannot find it!
Hmm Brooke, very interesting question that I will most certainly reflect on. I like my house tidy, and I love the feeling that I get when I tidy it, but yet I let it get a messy, and accept a certain level of disorder. And yes this is how I live more generally. I choose to frequently be in the struggle of ‘coming back’ to myself, when this is unnecessary, and makes my life harder than it need be. Its like the ups and downs are all too familiar, and that the good feeling of having tidied, is preferable to the consistency of having tidiness all of the time. This makes no real sense, either literally, or looked at as a reflection of life more broadly. I hear the word commitment somewhat loudly at this point!
This is a great question – and one I have been asking myself recently. It doesn’t make sense, why when the house feels so great when it is ordered, is it so easy to let it get disordered?
For me, if tidying up becomes ‘hard’ then I need to stop and look at how I am feeling. There may be a lack of commitment coming up to be addressed. There may be an unwillingness to complete what is needed. There also may be a momentum of not feeling like being responsible in the moment and wanting someone else to do it. It is very interesting to stop and feel what is driving the need for disorder because in reality it is a choice, it is not something that just happens.
I have always loved order and felt the clarity in it. But when I was a child I would have a messy room all week then clean it up on the weekend and bask in the glow of the order. I look back now (from my very ordered house) and wonder why the mess in the first place? The answer I feel is wanting to dull myself down but not truly being able to stay dull with the mess so eventually I would have to clean it up and regain my sense of clarity. I feel the same with my eldest daughter who is now 7. She knows order and how supportive it is and yet if I let her she lives in a room that is disorderly. She has spurts of tidying up and she is amazing at restoring order and other times she fights it. I see this process as representative of our commitment to ourselves to have consistent order in our lives and our space. As my commitment to being myself grows I can maintain order so much more easily without strain or pushing myself. Thanks for sharing Suzanne, there is so much in our ability to be ordered… or not.
Very insightful robynjones11 – do we choose the mess to dull ourselves? If so, why? I think this is just as important a step as realising we live in disorder in the first place.
Yes, realising we are living in a state of disorder is a step and understanding why is another. They feel like they go hand in hand in healing our propensity for disorder.
I’ll have to share your blog with my 3 sons – my livingness doesn’t quite speak for itself – so maybe your blog will help them too. 🙂
But seriously, I have pondered and discussed with other family members the ‘behind the scenes’ programme that runs us – enabling us to turn an amazing feeling tidy space one minute, into a mess the next – sometimes within minutes of having cleared the space, only to walk away and leave it like that.
Perhaps it has to do with being accustomed to how unsupported life in general is, to the harmonious flow it could be and therefore the reflection from a clean and tidy space is too much of a stark contrast to the rest of the disregard in life – and hence why we ‘automatically’ re-attune this reflection to one of lesser contrast…
I think you’re onto the reasons behind the easy disintegration from tidy to mess Greg. I reckon to not continue to slip into that, the connection to how it feels to be surrounded by space and tidiness and order, deep in our body needs to me made; and confirmed quite a few times for it to become The Way for our kids.
Suzanne, there is so much gold in this blog I don’t know where to start. To me this is a psychological paper that deserves to be published. We can learn so much from our behaviours and how they impact on our mental health from what you have presented here. I also agree there is much we can learn from animals, they have not strayed from their true nature the way that we have as human beings; they live in order, they don’t over eat, only kill to survive and not for fun, and they always work as a team. Thanks again Suzanne !
I agree carolineraphael, there is much on offer in this article. The animal kingdom reflects a very simple wisdom to us, and one that when we truly see and chose to adhere to ourselves, brings true healing and real joy. Our bodies are also from this kingdom and bringing simplicity and clarity into our homes is a true support. I am very aware that if my home becomes messy and dirty, that I begin to feel very tired, depressed and drained by it. Keeping my home clean and organised (not obsessive, just do what needs doing) supports me to feel well and healthy every day.
Absolutely Suzanne. I relate to everything you say.
Can you come and have a chat with my children?
Ha ha Gina! Perhaps they can read this and maybe that will support 🙂
Oooh yes, me too Suzanne. I love how it feels when I clean the fridge or a drawer or put things in order. Clutter makes me feel a bit frazzled. When things are looked after and care is given to them they feel so good!
Frazzled is the word Kate, mess and clutter have a huge impact on the way I am feeling and frazzled sums it up nicely. The feeling of clarity and order leaves me feeling lighter and more able to cope with what life throws at me.
too true! I am sitting in my room while reading this article, and I could straight away feel that the mess, even if it is little, is making me feel anxious because it is a disharmonious sourounding. It gives so much space to have oversight and see where everything is and having space to move, literaly. Once I finish this note I will organise my room, so I can feel just as you are explaining in your blog – calm and held in support (by my own room!).
I have always loved order and precision and the way they make me feel. But what I have been observing is that like everything there are layers and depths to what this is. What I thought was order, in just a couple of months can be seen as a level of disorder. Such a fascinating process to constantly reveal to ourselves more.
I too am constantly suprised of the unfolding nature of simplicity, ritual and order within my life. As I pay more attention and am more present with myself the messiness and disharmony is revealed to remove if I so choose.
Great point Vicky. On the surface there is order and underneath this there is so much more to be felt and seen. This certainly explains the feeling I have quite frequently about cleaning cupboards out or rearranging my pantry or drawers. It feels like a reconfiguration of the items is needed to bring a new level of order and support for all in the house.
I agree Vicky. Now that I have made the commitment to ‘declutter’, I find myself noticing things that have sat out of place for YEARS, which had just blended into the ‘way things were’. In that moment I am now choosing to do something with them, either throwing them away, or relocating them to a more suitable place. I have been amazed at the joy I am feeling in the new space I am creating. I have always known that I am affected by my surroundings, but I had not wanted to see the level of disregard that I’d had for myself, and my home is a reflection of that. Now choosing to lovingly honour myself in my home by having more order is incredibly powerful.
It is really joyful creating a new space by reorganising furniture, decluttering and clearing out! I love it. I am in the middle of this process, by having new wardrobes and cupboards built… everything is not in its place yet with a few boxes still packed from my move, but i can see and feel the gorgeous potential when it is all done. I know how supportive and spacious it will feel.
Yes Vicky, because we are expanding what we feel as ‘order’ is changing. The Univers has a wonderful, divine Order what is following a dive plan to evolve. And am I not a part of the Universe? So if I bring dis-order I am working against the plan, I say NO to the expanding.
Like so much else in life, there is never an end point. It is a constantly deepening process.
I am noticing the layers too Vicky. It’s a process that never seems to stop. But by continuing to address each situation of disorder as it presents itself, I continue to feel calmed and purposeful and in order.
I used to get very frustrated by other people leaving a mess in a shared / my living space, but I have come to accept that for some people, it is not a natural way to be. And for them, I am learning to have greater patience, understanding and developing a way of communicating without annoyance.
Consistency is also key I have found. With my daughter she will take any opportunity at the moment to not tidy up after herself but by consistently prompting her this is slowly changing until I can feel it will be second nature to her. I also talk to her about doing her part within our family and our home and the energy behind her contributions to order as these conversations bring her a fuller understanding of why we ask her to contribute and the importance of order in our house.
I am having the same conversations with my daughter too robynjones11, especially what you say about doing her part within the family and the home. I take the view we are a team and we all need to pull our weight and contribute for the whole house to run smoothly. It’s a consistency on all of our parts, no different to the consistency needed when training a puppy!
I completely agree Suzanne!
I only start to truly understand how important order is in order to be able to work together with family, friends and colleagues and how much it influences the relationship and harmony.
Nature is such a beautiful reflection of our own natural ability to live in order and harmony.
There is so much truth in your words Suzanne, as I know for myself when things start to feel complex and hard work, there is no flow and things seem to be harder than they ever need to be.
Me too, I am disturbed by disharmony. If my home feels a mess I feel a constant pull down wards, like there is no true flow, just obstacles to overcome, and the simplicity is overlooked. When we realise that this organisation can truly support us in our day to day living it feels very simple indeed to care for ourselves and our belongings in this way.
I can see how easy it is to get exhausted, and hence perhaps turn to sweet foods or coffees, if the way we live is to have to constantly overcome obstacles.
I have been amazed at how committing to bring more order to certain areas of my home, has spilled over into all areas of my life. I opened the fridge this morning and was blown away by how ordered it was, everything neatly put away in plastic containers that were placed in a very neat way on each shelf, very unlike how it has been looking in previous weeks! At work, I am no longer leaving papers on my desk to deal with later, later is the new now and it feels so much more spacious to be taking more care in the way I work.
“…later is the new now…” I love this Alison!
similar to Robyn’s comment love the ‘later is the new now’. Tidying as we go along, and not leaving a trail of incompleteness behind us allows us to be 100% ourselves (and not reclaim the 1% we left behind)
I feel the same about emails Alison, in that if I leave them to pile up like paperwork before addressing each one as I get to it, I feel weighed down and it niggles at me constantly until I get to them. Approaching every aspect of life with order feels like it’s the way to go.
I am committed to simplifying my life. Although there is dis-order and chaos reflected around me currently (as we have just moved house) the big picture is a simplified, more supportive life for our family of living closer to work and schools…
For me, a huge step is embracing where I am without going into push or drive to ‘get it done’…amazingly it (unpacking and designating new homes for all our things) has flowed rather quickly since we moved in (about a week ago)…
I love your sharing about the lions and how together and organized they are as a group. If one of them is not in tune with the others and does their own thing – they all miss out on dinner. This is a great reflection for orderliness and responsibility in group work – we all have a part to play if the one that needs to go holds back or someone jumps forward and does not wait their cue, the target is missed and things become messy.
The lion analogy is great Suzanne. An awesome example of the power of working together, and how much we can do when we make our focus humanity and brotherhood. We could definitely do this more often!
I agree Susie, and just one of the many examples there are in nature of animals working together far better than humans do. However it is totally possible for us to work like this, and amazing things can be done when we do.
I agree Jane – everything can be a reflection of how we can live, nature is just one amazing example, but people can be just as reflective of things we need to learn.
A great blog Suzanne. Nature is such a beautiful way of seeing and feeling the very natural rhythm, order and flow that is always present. The analogy of the lions is a ‘perfect’ reflection for true group work – working harmoniously together in unity with purpose and commitment to serve the all.
Yes Stephanie “Nature is such a beautiful way of seeing and feeling the very natural rhythm, order and flow that is always present” and the analogy of the lions show the importance of these qualities so well. Without order and harmony it simply does not work.
“I remember how wonderful and refreshing a tidy, orderly room felt, and I too felt open and clear in my thinking. In those moments, I knew that the bravado at living with ‘organised chaos’ was rubbish”. How often do we bluster our way through – trying to justify how we live or try to deny a certain behaviour – the ‘bravado’ you refer to Suzanne. When I am doing this I know that I am trying to deceive myself and there is a deeper issue at play that needs addressing.
Thank you, Suzanne, for the reminder that there is a way of being that supports us and our bodies know what this feels like. To go against this creates disharmony and disrupts the flow in our lives, our homes and in our relationships.
I agree, janetwilliams06, and I feel it is far more reaching than most of us have stopped to consider.
It has occurred to me that there can also be complexity and chaos in our relationships with each other, or there can be space, understanding, and appreciation.
Indeed Shami well said. What I love about life is how everything matters and each area is a reflection of another area in our life, i.e. there is no compartmentalisation. Everything we do affects everything – it is a huge level of responsibility but one I know many people are waking up to and embracing.
Yes the beauty of this is that we can’t escape reflections and we can change one aspect of our lives and it will support all other areas too.
Thank you for your words Suzanne. The harmony/disharmony we feel within ourselves is reflected within our homes and vice versa. With our every movement in every moment we have a choice of either keeping it simple or making it complex… something I am still currently working with!
True that Liane, every moment can an opportunity to choose: simple or complex.
Yes – the harmony within relationships are reflected in the house too. I find when I have not made quality time for the children in the day this is resultant in a physical mess and lack of commitment for them to tidy!
The delay we have within ourselves is often reflected in our homes. Piles of things building up to deal with later can reflect us delaying and not taking action in the moment. There is a simplicity in doing things as they arise and the trail left is one of order and harmony.
A great comment Nikki and so true.
I love knowing all my things are in order. If I’m off key I’ve a tendency to be messy and only when things feel too out of control I’ll have a sort out.
I’m learning to be consistently tidy. I do find the loving discipline required an effort still as the yoyo effect of letting things slide before I’ll do a tidy is still there.
Thank you for this blog because it’s helped me identify that though I love order and flow and hate the stress of not locating an important document; I am still hooked into an old pattern of waiting til things slide before doing anything about them (a pattern in so many areas of my life).
This cycle of mini crisis and averting disaster is me living off the anxiety of mini stresses!
I am still recreating the pattern of having such an untidy room that if I didn’t tidy my bedroom as a child everything all my belongings were under threat of being binned. Lots of arguments and drama!
Thank you for introducing a different way. That of staying within a flow, a harmony that needs no deadlines or outside instructs or fear of reprocussions to keep oneself in check but comes from within, a natural impulse to live orderly and harmoniously without effort but with a loving discipline.
I don’t have to live judged by what I think others will say (I grew up with got to clean the house before visitors arrived, and the stress of what if they turned up early, what would they think then? A knowing that we lived messy in many ways and the shame and hiding that went with that and the effort of putting on a public face.)
I can live in tune with what I feel to be true. I don’t have to wait for the illness, the car crash, the dishonesty of living a double life knowing my life is messy in areas but not cleaning it up. I can be responsible myself for following what I know to be true from within – no knowing I am being irresponsible and waiting for the reprocusions. No fear of bin liners at the ready to take away my possessions!
This is an amazing comment Karin, there is so much in here as I’m sure it’s not just me who can relate to the yoyo pattern of the ‘mini crisis’ and ‘averting disaster’. The dishonesty of living that double life where we make sure we clean before guests come over is ingrained in probably most of us. Good for you to call it out as a dishonest way of living, thank you.
Oh Wow Karin, this is a huge point you make here ” I can be responsible for myself following what I know to be true from within – not knowing I am being irresponsible and waiting for the repercussions. No fear of bin liners at the ready to take away my possessions!” I recognise the reprocusions of my childhood. The truth of having everything thrown out in the middle of my room if I did not tidy it in a proper way. And I now see how I do the same with one of my daughters and her clothing closet.
I love order and simplicity and when my home becomes cluttered it completely takes me out of balance. As soon as I declutter, clean and tidy up I feel a freshness in my home and a clarify in my body.
Yes and the opposite: what is created when one is living chaotically. A lot of art I’ve experienced has had a discordant feeling to it. In the past when I was very messy in all aspects of my life I found this discordance interesting and seeked such experiences.
Since attending Universal Medicine courses I’ve allowed myself to be more aware and find most art work feels messy which isn’t what I find inspiring any longer.
great blog so much in it. I have so much work to do thankyou.
Couldn’t agree more…….I love order and always enjoy the benefits of the flow experienced when life and my surrounds are allowed to be in their natural ordered way.
I actually feel all ‘ discombobulated ‘ in myself when things around me are disorganised.
The natural order and flow in nature always reminds me of the centre of a sunflower.
I love order to, and simplicity. Less is more I say, and I find keeping my possessions to the bare essentials supports me in keeping order in my life. I love that word “discombobulated”, that’s exactly how I feel if I let myself get behind with chores or don’t take care in keeping my things organised and tidy when I am tired. The same goes at work too, I am always going through my piles of paper and tidying my drawers, it just keeps things simple and makes perfect sense to me!
I’m with you on this Sandra. Order, simplicity and minimal possessions works for me, keeps life light and free flowing.
Belinda Jane, ‘discombobulated’ what a word , love it, it reads just how it feels, and its so true, when I am disorganised or untidy conscious presence and the natural flow of my life get all jumbled up -‘discombobulated’ to a point where I have to stop, breathe, and return to my natural rhythm.
“Discombobulated”!!!! The word exactly sounds like and describes the effect of disorganisation. And I love your visual of the centre of a sunflower – it’s perfection personified 🙂
Suzanne – that’s it exactly! I feel totally discombobulated when the house is out of order, and in fact if I get discombobulated at work, the first thing i do is to tidy when I get home. There is absolutely nothing a like a well ordered room or house to help put some order back into my body!
I’ve found that as I build a loving commitment to me and to life, there is an automatic gearshift in keeping order at home. It has been quite lovely to feel the home come to life by simply following the impulses on when to attend to things. Things just get done without any ounce of complexity.
I am with you on this Matthew, and there is much to appreciate with this way of living.
This is one weak point for me, I tidy up but then within a few days the mess begins again. I can relate and understand what all have shared here; for me the mess is a reflection of something in my life I am not dealing with and when tidy I know my body and the space feels soooooo much better. Note to self .. be more organised and not messy!
The ripple effect of the way my house is huge, not only on my rhythm but also on my mood. When things are out of place I get frustrated when it takes me long to find it, because I am later out of my house than planned etc. When everything is in order, the rest flows, I feel joyful and at ease. But then I have to wonder what came first, was it the chaos or the order inside me that than has an effect on everything in my house?
Good point Diana. Was it the chicken or the egg? I find if we commit to sorting the external, it gives a clear space which is more supportive in dealing with the inner. There is a level of frustration that can come with living in disorder, but often it is not recognised. Order of our surroundings has a huge impact on how we are in those spaces.
Well said Nikki and Diana, the impact of having a dis-ordered environment at home I have found is the ripple effect that goes out into the rest of my day. Also I totally agree with the frustration that comes with all of this, sometimes it is subtle and underlying – what I also find this dis-order creates and feeds is the anxiousness that can take over me. The more I feel into it and the more I am organised, clean and in order the space that I feel and ease in which my body is in is a loud and clear sign that it is the way forward. I love having order and space.
So true Natalie. The body is much more at ease with order.
I love how you were inspired by the Lion’s way Suzanne. How amazing it is when we set aside the sense of ‘self’ and work together as team with purpose and commitment, to life and each other. In this togetherness, we are truly powerful and all bring something key to make a process work.
I can really relate to this blog Suzanne, the feeling of clarity and lightness that comes with cleaning away that which is unnecessary and is cluttering up my space is divine! I am noting though, that I really need to work on my consistency in attending to the little things that if left, over time, add up to create the clutter and mess in the first place! This blog is a great support to remind me of this. Thank you!
Thank you Suzanne, I love this article as I can so relate to what you have shared about order and the support and ease that flows when you live life this way. For me it is not being intense or obsessive/compulsive about it, but simply accepting that I always come back to the order (or disorder) that I create – for example when I come home from work to an ordered house, I am free to relax, to feel how my day has been – rather than walking into the mess of the morning’s mad rush out the door!
I have observed with my children, that the state of their bedrooms definitely reflects ‘where they are at’ in their lives. When messy, they are generally in disregard, which develops into overwhelm if left unchecked. When they are feeling centered, they tidy up without being nagged.
Thank your Suzanne for sharing your wisdom with us. I have been tidying up my tools and recognising where I put things of a similar nature and putting them together so that looking for the right implement is made much easier. I don’t know why I have lived in disarray in some areas if my life when I know life flows when I am tidy and have a place for everything. The satisfaction in tidying and getting rid of what is no longer needed is immense and I intend to carry this over into all areas of my life.
Love it Suzanne, you have laid out what I have always felt too around having order around me… I particularly liked your reference to the way life flows. If I get bogged down with something, the most effective way to get some movement happening is to put things (back) in order around me.
Agreed Suzanne 100%. There is no room for free movement in complexity, and the space that order creates is to me, heavenly.
Awesome Suzanne. I too know that feeling of complexity when there is no order. A messy space feels like it leads to a messy way of living.
Keeping the home and work environment orderly and clean feels great. It allows for more clarity of thoughts and spaciousness in the body- harmony is felt. Most importantly I am learning to make it fun and not a chore, so it is cleaned in the quality of love not anger, frustration or resentment.
Bringing a loving attention to detail to everything in your house will let you see where you can even be more loving with yourself – at least that is what I have experienced.
Thanks for sharing Suzanne, I really feel the difference in my life and even the tension that builds if my home and environment is messy. I have now been taking that to a new level with a course offered by Simplicity in living. It is a self paced de cluttering course, and I have found it to be super simple and supportive.
I am always struck by the focus of animals as they stalk their prey. The commitment is absolute, natural and dedicated to purpose. It makes me realise how distracted I get even with the most important tasks. Thank you Suzanne for bringing my attention to this again and today I will use my true nature and not be pulled out by distracting thoughts and feelings.
When I connect to, “The commitment is absolute, natural and dedicated to purpose.” aspect of animals focus as they stalk their prey I too can also feel my purpose and commitment doesn’t stack up by comparison.. Its interesting to feel the two side by side. Like you Bernadette I am inspired not to be pulled out “by distracting thoughts and feelings”
When I imagine a bee moving with purpose from blossom to blossom efficiently working it’s tiny wings hundreds of times per minute – I suddenly sit up straight, feel the bee’s focus and I’m pulled out of my comfort or distraction. Animals reflect to me, my natural state and then I sharply feel the parts of my feelings, thoughts and behaviour that are not natural. A beautiful reflection!
Thank you Suzanne, you have said it all! Amazing, as I also feel the exact same. I love order and it feels amazing. But, if I am messy in my way of living, it negatively effects me until I take the responsibility to clean up the mess I have created, (and live differently). Haha “organised chaos” – how is that possible?
“. . .the more organised and ready I am, the more equipped I feel to handle what life brings” also holds true for me Suzanne. However, what feels organised one week can feel messy the next week as the level of ‘organisation’ needed to support me to the next level continually deepens
Couldn’t agree more, Suzanne. Order and tidiness around me also feels amazing in my body and supports me on all area’s of life. The fysical act of throwing away things I don’t use or need anymore frees me up inside and allows me to let go of old beliefs, ideals or ways of being. Organizing, clearing clutter brings me back to myself and provides outside and inside clarity, which makes it so much easier to feel what is going on and what I want to do or say next.
We can learn a lot from nature if we are willing to look, in regards to the lions, precision and patience are two traits that go hand in hand and can serve us well. Would you be able to stare at your food for hours waiting until it was the perfect time to eat?
Ha ha – love it Tony, great point!
I’ve found this too Ariana. Hilariously sometimes when I’m about to leave the house and have a few minutes to spare I’ll rush around in my room trying to put things away as I know that if I leave it untidy it will affect my consistency and steadiness throughout my day.
“it just takes commitment and discipline to live like this, founded simply upon feeling how lovely it feels to be in a tidy and organised home.”. I love this especially how this is the foundation – that it is simply lovely and supportive to live like this. Not coming from a foundation of – keeping the house for clean for appearances sakes/arrival of visitors, or obsessively cleaning i etc…… When you start from your foundation, you clean and look after your house in a whole new way and it is far less of a chore.
Thank you Suzanne. I find the same at work too. I have very little paperwork and file things asap as a way to help me have clarity in my workplace. It really makes a difference as I spend less time looking for things, am organised and on a very practical note, have much more room on my desk!
Thanks Suzanne for the inspiration. It is lovely and supportive to live in order and simplicity. Staying present is key for me, otherwise things can get messy and complicated very easily.
Yes Annie, I agree and I find completing things a necessary part of keeping ordered too – if I leave something incomplete, it affects the next thing I do, which will often also end up incomplete. The series of incompletes is a big contributor to any messiness… and complication.
I love to have things in order, tidy and clean, if my home becomes untidy and messy then it is usually because I am letting something get to me and my focus is else where.
i can remember my room as a child looked like a war zone – you could never see the floor for clothes and toys, books and shoes. It was always a mess, and I often only cleared my bed to sleep in. Like you, my mum forced me to clean it every so often when it got ridiculous, and it would take so much time and energy, but once done I loved it. However it took me several years to develop a relationship with myself and what my room represents – my space and my place to rest – for me to consistently keep it tidy and not let it go more than a day or two with clothes not put away. One of the most amazing feelings is decluttering and having more order to a room or storage space.
I can really feel that choosing to live in a place that is tidy and orderly is extremely supportive as it becomes part of my foundation from where I can expand and be more of me.
Beautiful, and as I have also felt, being tidy and having a space clear for doing what I wanted to do. I only sometimes don’t take the responsibility to clear out and can feel the effect it has on my life.
Yes Benkt, if I allow things to get a little messy or disorganised, I feel like I have less space, it is easier to get stressed and life doesn’t flow with the same clarity and ease. It’s interesting how our physical environment can be such a reflection of how we are feeling.
Great sharing about how the inner order and harmony is expressed by the outer and viceversa. Can very much relate to this, thank you for this beautiful reflection.
Suzanne, I totally agree “I have discovered that it is actually not hard to keep it this way, it just takes commitment and discipline to live like this, founded simply upon feeling how lovely it feels to be in a tidy and organised home.” and it gets easier once the full commitment is felt and lived in the body – feels too good to drop.
I agree Rik, once the commitment is felt and lived in the body, not only does it feel to good to drop, the truth of the order pulls me to align with it.
Great blog Suzanne, I too used to live in a total mess when I was younger and it took many years to come around to the fact that living with things in order was actually worth the effort! As time goes by there is always more refining of what is needed and what is not, and to keep simplifying things.
I also love order in everything and I know that when my rooms a mess it’s a pretty good reflection of how I’m going.
A great and important reminder of how nice it is to have order in our lives, That reminds me I must go I’ve got some cleaning up to do in the kitchen , and some weeding to do in the garden tomorrow morning 🙂
great analogy Suzanne. I love the feeling of simplicity and no clutter but I struggle to have it consistently in my life.
Yes, and it’s fun, What was once just a task is now a joy. I enjoy bringing order to my surroundings – at work and home – and feeling the loving support and honouring coming right back to me.
I agree Jenny but your mention of work makes me realise that as I sit at my desk there are some areas that I have tidied to support myself and my colleagues but there are others (in a different room) that I have left. I now feel inspired to tackle them because it disturbs me every time I walk into that room. Thank you.
It’s interesting to observe that I can leave some amount of chaos in my house that’s acceptable before I feel it’s too much, and then start clearing up. Another thing I can do, is push things into full cupboards and pretend there’s organisation knowing that there isn’t really. It’s all tricks that I’m aware I’ve played that don’t work.
Hi Suzanne, yes, it is pretty awesome when we see something happening in nature and from that, it shows us so much more in reflection about our own lives. Those lions you described working together, communicating with such stealth, precision and order would make what they were doing look effortless. It would be great for us humans to learn to work together like that – imagine what work could be achieved!
Very true johannebrown17, it would be amazing if we were so in tune with ourselves and each other to be able to work together so effortlessly and with such precision. Nature consistently offers us this amazing reflection and when we choose to follow it, we can restore true harmony to our lives, our relationships and most importantly our bodies too.
Great point johannebrown17! Those lions aren’t worrying about the pile of dishes in the sink, that cupboard that really needs to be cleared out or the washing that needs to be folded and put away;) A commitment to order actually allows us to live our true qualities as we are not crowded or dragged down by things we have left undone.
Great blog, Suzanne, – how amazing nature is, and how much we as humans can learn! I like the analogy to the lions. I have always loved keeping my space tidy and can spend hours organizing my things, finding new and better solutions to how I organize things. I agree with you “how lovely it feels to be in a tidy and organised home.” Just amazing.
I loved reading this as I love order too, it makes life very simple and supported. Whenever I get ‘out of order’ in my home or at work my mind seems to become somewhat disordered too and it takes longer to get things back to harmony because that is always when complication sets in.
I can so relate to this article Suzanne – “my bedroom was always a mess. I had a chair in the corner that became a dumping pile for clothes not clean enough to return to the cupboard, but not yet dirty enough to put in the laundry.” I do this now and it doesn’t feel good. I notice how if I clear these piles of clothes, it feels great, so much clearer. These details to tidiness really do make a difference to how we feel.
I myself “…am disturbed by disharmony…” I feel I have a natural inclination towards order and harmony. It is not about having things clean and tidy for the sake of it or because of control. I call it ‘the flow’ – I like there to be a natural flow, which is reflected in my home, my choices, my movements and the how I chose to express myself. I am learning of course and there are patches that need some more order and care, and this is part of it. I can feel where there is a need for more ‘flow’ because it grates and does not feel cool. It is a natural knowing and I enjoyed how you related the feeling of being ’12 feet tall’. It can alter how we feel about ourselves when we honour order.
I love the way nature has such a great way of reflecting so much back to us. I notice the difference in myself when things are tidy and cleared away the space feels so much bigger and lighter too.
I came across a fallen birds nest once. The intricacy, detail and the way different pieces of material were used for support, comfort and warmth was amazing. Nature constantly inspires.
Just this weekend gone we decided to clear out our garage which was full of stored things we don’t use. It took a certain discipline and commitment on my part because truth be told on the surface it appeared to be a big job to tackle and I would have rather done something else, but once we got into it, it did feel great to clear the clutter and create some space in one room which made the whole house feel lighter, and us lighter too!
Yes it is amazing how creating space in one area has a direct impact on the spaciousness of the whole house and how we feel. A great reminder to take the opportunity to bring order wherever and whenever, no amount is too small or too insignificant, because even the smallest bit will affect the whole.
Suzanne, its such a joyful way to live that instead of having a chair or area in the room (or spare room in my case) where I would put clothes instead of hanging them back up or putting them in the washing basket that they go in their place. When I come back into the room I feel the support, care and love that I have taken is their awaiting me. This is but one small example of how brining a loving order to my home is a true support and something for me to take out into all areas of my home.
Like you David when I leave my home tidy and clean: ‘I feel the support, care and love that I have taken is their awaiting me’. I work away from home. Central to my leaving preparation is a cleaning and ritual in every room and laundry so that when I walk back in weeks later I am met with still, loving welcome.
I really feel this too David, ‘When I come back into the room I feel the support, care and love that I have taken is their awaiting me’, I never used to make my bed or keep my room that tidy, now I love to make the bed, smooth the sheets and pillows and when I return to it that evening it feels so loving and nurturing. And if I leave the kitchen in a mess I can feel how this affects my whole day, it is like I’m always trying to catch up and I can feel how this weighs me down.
I love how nature reflects our natural way of being with ourselves and our surroundings. Nature shares openly and abundant to support us to find our way back. There is a natural order in everyone and everything.
I would have to agree with your statement ‘there’s a natural order in everyone and everything’; very well said Annelies.
I would second that Oliver.
Beautiful Suzanne. timely for me as I have recognised lately that my home needs some re-ordering. I too can feel that life flows so much better with order.
Suzanne, I can really relate to what you’ve described in your childhood room and I feel for me, it was a distraction to not feel order and flow in my life, as I would then have to feel all that was going on around me, and the mess created enough ‘noise’ to keep the clarify at bay, and generated a tension each time my mum would comment on what a mess it was. My response being ‘just leave it, don’t go in’. It was a way for me to feel in control in an environment where I didn’t feel I had any.
Thank you Sandra I realise this was true for me too ‘the mess created enough ‘noise’ to keep the clarity at bay, and generated a tension each time my mum would comment on what a mess it was.’ It was a great distraction from what I did not want to see or feel.
As a kid I used to love the feeling of a clean tidy room once the mess had gone. Feeling the spaciousness of a room impacted the way I felt in my body. I still feel it just as acutely today… even the angle of something being out of place needs adjusting. To have order in the home feels exquisite.
I know what you mean rachelmurtagh. As a child I couldn’t bear it if someone did not respect the way that someone else had placed items on a shelf for example. It felt important to honour the angles at which they were placed. If anyone messed them up I felt very uncomfortable.
When my home and surroundings are clean, ordered and simplified, I feel balanced and as you say Suzanne supported. I too feel anxious when I don’t know where things are and find it helps to return things to their true place immediately after using them. I also remember the big clear and clean out after I’d allowed disorder to rein and loved how refreshing and clear the room felt afterwards. My mother each year had a ‘Spring Clean’ the annual deep clean that followed winter. Now it feels more harmonious and supportive to clean and clear as I go along and not let things build up. Like a metaphor for life: deal with molehill don’t wait until it becomes a mountain to climb.
Our House went from being super tidy to absolutely trashed in a matter of hours having pulled everything out that was to go in a street jumble. Total chaos reigned in those hours the house was trashed and it was great to feel it back in order with a sorting of stuff we no longer needed or used. It was great to feel the contrasts in such a short period.
Yes Suzanne this loving discipline is one that I can let slide and the moment I do I can feel it instantly. As you say this supports with clarity, life flowing, no anxiety and the main thing that I feel is spaciousness not just in my house but in my body. Great reminder of how important it is and beneficial to your life it is, thank you. I love a clean home too.
I love this Suzanne, nature shows us so much, from order, simplicity to not overeat. As a child, I wasn’t always tidy or organised but I do remember loving order and would try and organise the house so it felt clear and harmonious again. I know when I am not wanting to face certain situations or deal with things I need to do, because my house is disorganised. It is a super clue, because as soon as I see that I feel the tension in my body, get the house back to a harmonious state and then what I was avoiding take 5 mins and its over!
Suzanne I am a devotee of order. I love it and have it everywhere, in my cupboards, in my bathroom, in my car, at work and in my handbag, in my wallet, in my glove compartment, on my computer, at work and it feeds me back constantly.
I too am realising more and more how supportive it is to have an organised home, and that keeping it this way supports simplicity in life. If only I could convince my son of this!!!!When things start to get out of order I think back to another great blog “God is in the detail” and am reminded that it is the little things that support us and our connection to God so I pay closer attention these days to the detail.
Absolutely adore how nature reflected to you the power of order and harmony. Nature truly does offer a lot of reflections like that.
I have come to deeply appreciate living in an orderly way. It saves me a huge amount of time knowing where to find things like my car keys for example and it also saves me from a lot of stress!
I totally agree Suzanne, I find if I have chaos in my surroundings, I am unable to function and immediately feel out of balance and unable to be in the moment to attend to what needs doing.
I really enjoyed reading this blog Suzanne! It is so honest. I could feel the ‘wilful’ you priding herself living in ‘organised chaos’, as I know my own ‘wilful’ me so well . . . who does the same with any number of things!
Placing something back where it belongs can be such a nurturing and tender act. And coming home to an ordered home is the most beautiful welcoming thing that calls to our hearts to repose. I loved what you said about the ordered home meaning that:
‘I am truly comforted because my surroundings support me
I feel no anxiety – the more organised and ready I am, the more equipped I feel to handle what life brings’.
I too feel that beautiful comfort when returning to my clean and graceful home – it is not the ‘comfort’ of falling into old ways, but, rather, has an embracing effect. Also our home (and, for me, especially my car) carry a holding love that dissolves little tendrils of anxiousness when I come back to them. Thank you Suzanne for this reminder.
Thank you Suzanne, for your blog, I can relate to what you are saying about how uncomfortable disorder feels. As I am learning to attend to things when needed and not put them off, I find it is easier to hold the sense of order and spaciousness that I love. I have a large garden and when I don’t attend to it for a while, it can feel like one big mess, but all it needs is the paths swept and all is back in order.
And you thought you were just watching a television program!! I agree about how having a clear and tidy space/room makes life feel clearer and simpler. Also from experience I know how having one messy room can have an effect on the whole of the house. Everything matters.
I find tidying and re-organising things super supportive too. It helps my mind be clearer and supports the flow in the way I get things done.
Hi Suzanne, I love the way Nature has its own order and the way it naturally tunes into this like the pride of lions you describe. I love order too for when there is no order, my head feels too busy and messy to think straight.
If I don’t have order I feel out of control! It’s not about perfection but feeling where I’ve got things in the way.
Some days I’ll know there’s an area I need to dedicate to ordering but sometimes I’ve not got the clarity, time or am too tired to do it there and then so Ill allocate that time later and put everything in a neat place. not getting everything done all at once but committing to do them in the near future and not procrastinating feels very supportive.
Suzanne, I had a chuckle about your chair full of clothes not clean enough to put away, not dirty enough to wash. I had a chair like this most of my life. A chair neither here nor there, the non-committal chair.
Suzanne I feel exactly the same, I just had a conversation with a friend about this subject. I had a study day planed but my house felt like chaos (2 small kids and 2nd week of study), because I had minimal time for study I chose to leave the chaos till after, thinking it was the practical choice. This being something I would normally not do and was a hard decision to make. What I discovered in that day was exactly what I felt I would feel by not cleaning and organizing my house. I was non-committal, unorganized and not clear which was exactly how my home felt. I’m always in a process of refining my house to work with me and not against me. The more the chaos clears in me the clearer my house becomes. Just like setting rhythms up with my body I need to do the same with my home.
I love this Suzanne. I have been working with this recently also – taking myself and my home to a new level of order and precision. Even it if is a cupboard that has been cleaned and the doors are closed, I can feel the lightness and freedom that comes from having brought order back to that cupboard. I am going even further with this now and asking does each item reflect where I am at and still support me? Disharmony and disorder versus harmony and order – it’s a no brainer for me now.
Suzanne, your blog is perfectly timed and pertinent, I have areas of my life which are organised chaos and often pride myself on being able to manage but truly they are not supportive and this blog is a great nudge for me to look and see what I am avoiding here.
I also like things in order and if I do allow a my home to get messy I just don’t function as well. When I have clutter about it feels like my head is cluttered up as well. Nature is fascinating and so amazing and is revealing to us all the time in many different ways, how it is possible to work together. Imagine if we all worked as nature does, together, as one, not trying to be better or less but knowing that we all had an equal part to play.
I read this blog this morning, then spent that day at work and at home living my usual life, but with the words of this blog staying with me, and as a result I could see the organised chaos that still carries on in pockets all around me, places where I have not taken care or responsibility, areas where I have said – oh that’s alright, it can wait. But actually it feels so much better when those pockets are cleared. Perhaps its time to honour myself more in how I live within the spaces I live in.
Having order in one’s environment I find also helps me sleep – knowing all is where it needs to be, but more so a settled feeling is with me.
Nature programmes get me pondering too. I have seen many documentaries where the lionesses don’t get their kill, especially when they are teaching their young how to stalk.
But what I have never seen is a lioness sitting dejected in self judgement, or criticising the rest of the pride, they just seem to move onto the next opportunity, learning from what has just happened and start all over again.
Something for us humans to ‘chew on’ perhaps?
I did a more extensive clean of my home yesterday, and it felt so much lighter and spacious afterwards. I know there is a cupboard and some paperwork for me to sort out which I have been avoiding – which drains my energy every time I see the mess. Spending quality time addressing this mess I know will support me further and bring more harmony and order to my home – thanks for the timely reminder.
Before I had an understanding of the support order and space provided for me in my home and life, I remember if something had happened that I was in reaction to or felt upset or anxious about – the first thing I would do is get out the broom and sweep the floor. Somehow the mechanical rhythm and planned sweeping which had an order to it soothed and grounded me. A way of living that lovingly supports and allows us to be open to life comes from within and is already known, all we have to do is choose to bring that way into practice. The temporal world encourages chaos at every turn and subtly invites us to get hooked in and thus hand over control to something else. Thank you Suzanne for the opportunity to connect with the knowing that order and simplicity is our natural way.
This amount of truth should be Roared from the roof tops and taught in every school!
Suzanne, it’s like you stole my experience with ‘organised chaos’. I was EXACTLY the same. It is such a work in progress for me, because by default, I dump things, and it still requires a conscious effort for me to put things away and even make my bed everyday. I’m far far more prepared to make this effort nowadays because of the very fact that it definitely feels much nicer and I feel lighter when I walk into any room where everything is in order….although my cupboards need some work… but I’m getting to it.
I can relate to your blog here Suzanne Anderssen and the living with a certain level of organised mess. I find that how messy my house gets often reflects how messy my life is outside of the home. I will sometimes slowly let things in my house get more and more messy up to a certain point when it becomes unbearable and then I will do a big clear up and sort it all out. This is also true of my life. Rather than really committing to order, rhythm and balance consistently every day as a way of life, I will tend to wait until something big happens that needs sorting out. So when I am in this mode I am always on the back foot reacting to life, rather than being the initiator of how I want my life to be. Very interesting to link this to my home which I had not done so, so clearly before.
Everyone who enjoys living in cleanliness and having things in order can use those tools as a gauge for how they are living. If our space becomes a little messy than so to does our life, having the discipline to keep that order is a great way to assist in having a stress less life.
I like you once prided myself living in ‘ordered chaos’, what an illusion i kept running for a long time….order and being organised has changed my life….more than that i wasn’t just changing the game to be ordered but with the understanding that living with order and being organised brought a quality to my life of care, clarity, and steadiness…and took the sting of tension out by that sense of ‘just doesn’t feel right’….much to be said in living orderly which is supported by discipline but a discipline in joy as it feels so good to live like this…
I love this blog Suzanne and I Love having everything organised. You are so right everything becomes easier as everything is where you want it when you want it and yes it is simple keeping our lives and homes this way, it makes sense when we put something down we put it in its home, this saves so much time and allows for so much space. Yet I can have a couple of outfits that love on a chair for a couple of days and with your blog I realise how this actually really does not fit the rest of the way I live…. hmmm
Order and simplicity is definitely something I am working on now too. I feel the same when my house is messy and untidy. I am participating in a de-cluttering course run by an esoteric student. It has been great in helping me get started in keeping order in my living space. I have never been extremely untidy or very tidy. I tend to slot in with who I live with. If they are tidy I am too but if they are not, then I tend to let things go a bit more messy. But I realised that the way I am isn’t committing to what is supportive for me. Now, I have been inspired by friends from Universal Medicine that I can choose order snd simplicity by commiting to it every day. I have to be proactive and be consistent. I feel so much lighter and harmonious. Your blog Suzanne inspires me too, to stay consistent in supporting myself to live in order and harmony.
I know that I feel so much more at ease when I have a sense that there is order around me. A well ordered space, be that my home, a room, my desk at work etc, means the more I get a sense of flow and rhythm. This is priceless in helping me go about my day in a more steady, harmonious fashion.
Physical chaos for me creates mental chaos and from then on nothing really works. The feeling of spaciousness and harmony that comes from an orderly environment brings clarity and opportunity for openness that is denied when chaos reigns. Thank you Suzanne.
I learnt order and harmony from my flat mate when I moved in with her. I used to drive her mad as at first I did not put things back in the same place as I got them from. Once she explained the importance of this to all of us I got it and realized how much easier it was to simply put it back and then you always knew were to find it. I love living with order now and can see that the way I handled the disorder was because I was checked out. I deeply appreciate my friend for inspiring me to live with order and harmony.
Keeping things in their own space and returning them also means no energy is wasted looking for something at a later stage. If something is misplaced this is just another way to bring in complication in my day and possibly cause me to become anxious. It is much easier to return at the time though I have learnt this has become more natural as I have become more present with myself and able to feel what effect the environment I am living in has on my sense of well being.
I love what you have shared here and I love order – it makes me very happy!
Suzanne, I used to have a chaotic room as a teenager as well and I now realise it was a reflection of where I was at with myself in life. Now I am loving the order and clearing out my cupboards regularly. I play around with the position of my furniture and feeling what is the exact right place for them to be. I also love tidying up my clothes cupboard but somehow it never stays the way I want it. What your blog highlighted for me is that I can deepen my discipline and commitment when using it. It takes a little bit of extra effort and time – which I have been avoiding – but it is so worth it!
The order in any space is always very telling. Walking into any shop or business, one of the first things I sense is their level of care for themselves and their clients. And this is all revealed by the order and cleanliness of the space I walk into.
My. Home has a high level of order and is easy to maintain , but there are still other areas that require a stronger commitment from me to order, my food, my finances are very much a work in progress and areas where support is needed to bring back a high level of order. I know it is just a matter of time.
Dear Suzanne I totally get it – I love order – the order of God.
Hello Suzanne Anderssen, I love how you have included nature in this as we have much we can learn from how nature works. As for living an ‘ordered life’, I love how this supports me also as you say. Keeping things clean and clear at home and work feels like it supports me no end. I love the feeling of cleaning out or just tiding up an area. It may not be necessarily messy, but as things change personally in my life so does the space I live in need to mirror that change. Thank you Suzanne.
And the order we see in nature is not something that is thought out, it just is innately there, lived with such simplicity and no fuss. No wild animal could survive with the complication and emotion that we make human life to be.
Suzanne, what you have presented is so simple but has such an impact on our lives! I feel so great when I clear out extra clothes, tidy the top of the dressing table or have a really tidy kitchen bench. These are just a few examples of how order and structure help us to build our foundation for the day and support our rhythms. Awesome!
I can relate to that feeling of openness after eventually cleaning my room as a child and that same feeling comes to me today once I stand back and allow myself to appreciate the order before me. Having things in order really does support our health and well-being and while at first it seems like a chore eventually it just becomes normal. My relationship with cleaning has changed from being ‘forced’ to clean or do the bare minimum to actually enjoying it because of that lightness and clarity that follows. It’s not a chore as the more I do it the more I feel I am worth living in a more ordered way.
I love how this blog has exposed that I am actually avoiding the bullet points: clarity, stillness, order, support. When I let the house ‘go’ – really I am just saying no to being all that I can easily be. As you say it doesn’t take much to be ordered, just a loving discipline.
Spot on Vanessa, our house is a great reflection for how we are treating ourselves.
I like how you have bought in what we are avoiding Vanessa, clarity, stillness, order and support when we let the house go. I can totally feel this. Our homes can be such a support for us if we treat them with great respect and care.
I know exactly what you mean- as a child I could produce so much chaos, that my mum said: your room looks like a bomb landed 😀
I always loved the feeling when everything was tidied up again. The older I got, the more I had the impulse on my own to have a tidy room. Now I can’t imagine living without order- and there is always a way to go deeper 😉
For me my house and the way it is ordered is a reflection of myself and the way I live.
I totally agree with what you say Mariette, for me it is the same.
I totally relate to your experience as a child. Last week I was noticing that there were corners of our house where little piles would build up and get left untouched. I also realised that I did not treat every room or corner equally -some rooms were always kept in pristine order and others left only half organised. I also realised that the whole family goes along with this. For me, my home is a nurturing place which I enjoy coming back to at the end of a busy day, and those little piles are a minor irritation that don’t need to be there and take away from the space feeling even more supportive.
Yes nicolesjardin, I too know too well those little piles, and although they may be little they have a huge impact on the feeling in my home. They stand out amongst the order, just waiting to be tended to, and unfortunately will not go away by themselves. Thanks for reminding me that it’s time to de-pile!
I enjoyed reading your blog Suzanne. I love order and tidiness too. It always feels much more spacious when the house has had a tidy up and everything is back in place.
Brilliant Suzanne, thank you, and I couldn’t agree more how supportive it feels to have an order to the things around us. You’ve given me a gentle nudge to actually go get that drawer organiser for my utensils that I’ve been meaning to get for ages!
What a great analogy Suzanne. The lions and the order. I wouldn’t have connected that and I can feel there is great wisdom shared in the way you have described the way the lions work.
When I allow things to get messy it is a huge drain on my resources at a time when I need to look after my energy levels most.
I agree Leonne and in my experience keeping things messy is actually a way to guarantee feeling drained.
Ah, yes Dean, I know of that which you speak…those little piles of ‘stuff’ dotted about my house and my life that I have come to refer to as ‘energy suckers’…very draining indeed.
Absolutely Dean – it is so clear now. Keeping everything in order is like keeping an engine clean so it runs efficiently.
Yes, yes and yes. Three yes’s all neatly folded and piled on top of each other and in the correct drawer marked ‘Yes’. I am with order 100%. Always have known it to be extremely supportive. But can totally relate to society’s somewhat derogatory interpretation of ‘order’. It can be seen as controlled, tight, anal. And there is truth in this. Because I have found that order can be expressed in different ways. There is a joyful, self-loving expression of it where it is embraced as a supportive foundation for my life. Or it can be a protective, controlled expression of me trying to hold on too tightly. Both expressions get the underwear put away neatly. But both expressions feel totally different in their execution and feel totally different when I come back to the underwear.
Yes ottobathurst, order can be expressed in different ways and I thank you for clarifying this for me. In a previous comment I had written, I mentioned that my room as a teenager was always tidy and my clothes were always put away, but after reading ottobathurst’s comment, I realize this was done in a controlled manner. I remember how I would get uptight if something was out of place! I had a neat and tidy room but it never occurred to me the energy it was done in! This carried on for many years until I got to a point where I’d had enough and went completely the opposite way in allowing mess and disorder to build up around me! I am now at a point where I have had enough of this too! It is wonderful to get this opportunity to observe myself in how I have been living in this area, as I know from this place I am on the edge of a new beginning!
I get the most wonderful feeling when I re-order and clean out a space in my home or work. I can feel the care that I have put into it. I know that only what I need and appreciate will be kept. I love the feeling of no clutter and simplicity. I love the new angles created by the slightest repositioning of things in a space. It makes me smile. It does take consistency to keep things in order, and sometimes this falls behind, but it is so worth it and completely supports my life.
Order and precision, these are a few of my favourite things.
In the last few months I have experienced (though I live in a house that is tidy), that I did not have the same tidiness in my administration, my desk and my computer and as you say Suzanne. I did not feel equipped to handle what life is bringing me. I still have some catching up to do and your blog exposed to me that I am delaying the last bits, and maybe I can ask for some help here and there. So thank you for your sharing of your observations.
Totally agree with you Suzanne, chaos in the environment feels uncomfortable and the lack of spaciousness reflects back to the inner landscape.
Yes, I definitely feel anxiousness and disharmony with many areas of my home – and want the ease that comes with order.
Suzanne I really enjoyed your analogy with lions working together. I have always enjoyed order and struggled in my life without it especially with having seven children. Recently I have felt the pull to even more order with the tidiness of my cupboards which were previously an area I would be a little loose with. Now when I go to my clothes drawers I am greeted with a level of order and care for myself that supports me throughout my day!
It was after coming across Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine that I really understood and appreciated the necessity of a well ordered life as a much needed support for the home, for work and for building a solid rhythm in one’s day. I have never looked back.
Same, same, it was Serge Benhayon who presented order and discipline as a way of life but with an understanding of how it brings a whole new quality in living that becomes steady, spacious and takes the tension out of living in chaos, even we think it ‘ordered chaos’….i love it!!!!
Yes, I have been inspired to do the same. I am still learning to refine order and making it consistent in my life. I do find it difficult to keep my house in order with constant renovations going on but is has been an excuse to let it get messy. Work sites can be tidy and orderly too. It’s about putting effort into to keeping it tidy and orderly. I have found if I keep to my rhythm and routine it is easier to create order and harmony in my home, work and life.
Suzanne you have touched on two things I love here: nature and order. No coincidence that these two things are intimately related. The order and precision of nature is amazing and a great reflection for what is possible in our lives too. You have given some great examples of how order and cleanliness feels. At the moment I am enjoying organising my computer files, emails and paperwork – I literally feel like I am lighter as I walk around having these areas of my life in more order.
What struck me as I read about the lions was how they prepared for the job at hand and then the actual carrying out of the task, in this instance getting dinner, was efficient and effortless. Now there is something I could learn from the lions.
Yes, they worked as a team in carrying out there task, and it shows that precision, efficiency, effortlessness are natural – living in that order and organisation…it also supports groups of people, like families living together in this way, working in this way…etc…
I love the story of the lions and how they worked together in harmony, with an order and precision to successfully capture their prey. We can learn much from the magnificent reflections of nature.
Order… Love it, and consistency has to go with order. As you have said it feels so supportive that to stop start doesn’t give the subconscious any consistency and therefore doesn’t deal with the anxiety that comes with the disorder.
Yes Lucy, I agree consistency comes with order. I have realised this recently and I have been following it through. When I feel that something needs to be done, instead of leaving it til later I am starting to act on it. I find that I create more order by being consistent in following through with what I feel needs to be done. No more delaying, just getting on with it and becoming effecient. This creates more space and time for me.
Absolutely Lucy, consistency is key. Momentary order and the fluctuation between chaos and order is very unsettling.
This is a great topic – animals have much to remind us. I’m not strong in these areas and am becoming aware of the impact of disorganisation. As a teen I often initiated keeping the house organised and clean, and really enjoyed the clean windows to see the sky. I still feel a decided lack of purpose for cleaning and organising just for myself, which I just get to work on!
i am absolutely with you on this one Suzanne. By keeping order and harmony in our own homes it makes it easier and more natural to bring this order and harmony to our workplace and other areas of our lives supporting us in our daily rhythm.
Thanks Suzanne, organisation and minimal simple spaces support me to have a lot more clarify and focus.
Thanks Suzanne for outlining the clear difference between having order in our life or chaos (even if it is ‘organised chaos’). I have had a history of ‘organised chaos’ in my life and I have learned that my alertness and awareness is dampened whenever I settle for anything less than order in my life.
Isn’t harmony and order simply natural within us all? That is the first thing I go for before beginning any task, because it simply makes sense to start with such a supportive foundation.
Yes I agree 1heart but if you are not with yourself like I was for many years then order and harmony are also not with you.
Love it, Suzanne. I find it feels so yeuk! when things are out of order and just unceremoniously dumped where there is a spare spot. I feel as though I have a clear path through ( the room and my life ) when everything has a place and is in its place. You are right, it so simple easy to move in harmony when there is this clear way through. I love your recounting of the teamwork that the lions demonstrate in your example also.
Order keep slide so very simple. Everything in my life gets out of hand when i allow chaos to reign. What I find interesting Suzanne is that when I let the order slide it can feel like mission impossible to get it back together – I can understand your fight with your parents to resist facing it. Then the day comes when I just do it and it feels so beautiful:
a. to do it
b. when it is done
And then I wonder why did I stall for so long?
The ordered home means an ordered Rachel and an ordered life…
just like the lions.
It’s interesting because when I was in my teens my room was always kept tidy, there was hardly ever any mess and my clothes and shoes were looked after and kept away in their rightful place. It’s interesting because my house is not like this now. I do have a lot more commitments than I did back then but nevertheless this doesn’t give me an excuse to have very little order within the home. Reading this blog is a beautiful call, giving me an opportunity to go deeper, to commit and take responsibility in full for my home. The crazy thing about it is, I love order and simplicity as I did when I was a teenager!
Dear Caroline, up until a couple of months ago disorder reigned in my home, even though I too have found that I really love the simplicity and spaciousness of order. I would feel like there was too much to do to get things orderly again, so I just wouldn’t do it. Then a couple of months ago, something clicked and I began to do bits that had been annoying me. I started in my kitchen, it took a few weeks doing it as I could, but boy is it wonderful now. There are still pockets in my home that I have yet to get too, but now there is no preasure, just a simple knowing that I will get to it soon.
Beautiful Leighstrack. Yes, having patience is key and where there is disorder to not allow it to get to me. Although I am getting much better at this, feeling overwhelmed can creep in a little at times. To do a little at a time and be consistent with this makes so much sense. As I begin to let go of an area which has not been supporting to me at this time then I can create some space to look at order within my home.
Reading your article was very timely as I’m going through a ‘decluttering’ process in my own home and I just went through my wardrobe last week. It felt AMAZING to discard all the old clothes that I never wear anymore but haven’t wanted to throw away. I ordered my hanging clothes into a summer and winter section and then into tops, coats, dresses and trousers – something I’ve never done before. I feel such a sense of spaciousness and I smile every time I walk past my ‘walk in robe’. In fact I’ve walked past a few time just to look at how beautifully everything is arranged! I’m so enjoying the care I’m giving to myself and the new found order I’m choosing to have with all of my things. It’s even inspired others in the house to do the same without my mentioning a word!!!
There is nothing better than an organized home. It feels clear, harmonized and light. Thanks for sharing Suzanne.
Awesome thank you Suzanne, I can really relate to the messy room growing up, it is so true what you have written here, simplicity is key. I totally find life flows more fluidly and emotions are more stable when I feel organised and on top of everything.
Beautiful to read Suzanne. The way you look at nature and reflect on your own life is inspirational. We can learn a lot from nature and it reminds me we can also learn a lot from each other too.
When we know what a huge difference it makes to our lives when we have order it is hard to comprehend how ‘out of control’ many of us used to be in the past – and how much tension, anxiousness and chaos that caused.
I love the wonderful feeling that ensues after bringing the order back if things have become a little chaotic. Everything really does flow more freely and effortlessly.
Thanks for reminding us Suzanne the impact order and tidiness can have on our daily rhythm and the ability of things to flow. I to had a pile of clothes that were too clean to wash, but not clean enough to put in the drawers – much to my Mums annoyance of course.
Thank you Suzanne for the revelation that ‘order’ is an organizer of harmony in our enviroment and it is a reflection of where we come from as there is nothing disorganized about how the Universe works.
Patience, order, cleanliness, timing, harmony and flow – all qualities that support us to live harmoniously. Thank you for your inspiring blog Suzanne.
How beautifully rhythmic it is to make the choice to have order in someone’s life, and the changes you feel. Thank you.
Beautiful comment Ben Campbell. Rhythmic order 🙂
I can sooo relate to what you write. When I was studying, I remember having piles of papers and books everywhere. I believed I kind of knew where everything was, but…..when I needed something, I couldn’t find it. It would take me quite some time, frustration and anger to eventually find it. And all the piles would be everywhere but differently ‘ordered’. And yes, the piles gave me an inpleasant feeling, un-easiness. The few times I would clean up and truly order everything, I felt the difference. The past years I have made cleaning and ordering things a part of my daily life – my bedroom before I get dressed, my kitchen before I move on and my workplace before I close off the day. It reflects to me back a harmony. And the piles…some of them especially in my workroom seem to stick to me as a reminder I can still go deeper 🙂
Gorgeous Suzanne. I recognise everything you have said. It does feel amazing when everything in life is in order. I feel on top of things, supported and ready to go. When everything is a mess I can’t think straight and I feel like I’m behind with everything. Not very supportive at all. It is so worth taking the time to keep life organised.
I agree Rebecca it is definitely worth putting things away and keeping everything organised, it feels so much more loving and supportive.
Great sharing Suzanne. Thank you.
I also feel a level of disharmony when my surroundings have not been given the care and attention to be ordered.
Thank you Suzanne for sharing your blog it has always been an issue with me through putting things off and leaving things to last creating disorder , doing what is needed when it arises is a beautiful rhythm to be in and I too love order.
This is gorgeous! I too feel ’12 feet tall’ after I clean. It completely realigns me – and yes there is a sense of order and space around me – which I can feel makes me more aware in my surroundings, and feel a sense of appreciation for my home.
Smiling as you described your bedroom as a child Suzanne – mine was like that too. The spaciousness, the ease to find things and most of all I slept so much better in my created tidy space. Now as an adult I choose to live in a much more organised way and when not committed to this and I slip into those old patterns (using excuses like – I’ll deal with that later) knowing at this point I have to have my stop moment – re-gather and bring an awareness back to what really requires my attention taking away the anxiousness that seems to build as the jobs escalate.
I love it Suzanne, and totally agree – having an orderly room or a clean house definitely changes the way I feel, and when I come home in the evenings after work the space I’ve created somehow stops me getting too emotional. I can simply come home, and enjoy the imprint I’ve left behind rather than get angry or frustrated that there’s this, that and the other lying on the floor or on my desk.
I agree Susie Williams, I appreciate coming home to a well ordered house. There is always space in the morning to dedicate to cleaning or tiding the house. It was something I learnt from young and even though nobody is home during the day it makes a huge difference to how you feel when you return home. As you say I can “enjoy the imprint I’ve left behind”.
I too remember a chair stacked with half worn clothes and hadn’t connected that I still have a tendency to do the same pattern today, until I read this article Suzanne. It’s another example of how these patterns develop from childhood and continue throughout life. ‘Organised chaos’ is another phrase that reverberated with me, it’s a way of functioning but feels like not the best way. There’s a great feeling when we have more order to our lives.
Yes, Suzanne, I love order and the spaciousness it provides for me to live in. And I find the key to keeping my home this way is to put everything back in it’s place when I have finished using it. This is a constant discipline as I tend to want to move on to the next thing first, but putting things back gives the sense of completion, order and spaciousness that keeps everything clear and also supports my conscious presence. Then there is no build up, which means less time is needed to sort everything out every few days. I can also see exactly where I am at and how my relationship with time has been if a disarray or build up starts to occur – it usually means that a momentum of nervous tension has entered the equation.
Yes josephinebe2012, if I let things build up, it creates a sense of overwhelm – for all of those moments uncompleted. It is definitely a clear sign that shows me whether I am in rhythm, and fully giving each moment all of my presence… or not.
Reading your response gives me a fresh insight this morning Kylie. The sense of overwhelm for all of those moments uncompleted. I agree, how much stiller and deeper I feel when those moments are completed, completing a circle which lends a power to the activities of the day. Incompletion is like frayed ends of string leaving a part of ourselves missing as we move into the next moment.
A tidy room makes such a difference in everyday life…
Hello alexandremed, I agree but it’s not just a tidy room as for me this applies to everything, even you car. There is nothing better than a clean and tidy car, they seem to drive better. Each week I spend time cleaning my car, depending on the weather it maybe only a vacuum and wipe inside but for me it’s time well spent. Like any mess, if you avoid it then it takes a lot of energy to get it clean but if you dedicate time each week or day then the job is never as big.
I agree with you Raymond, I too particularly like my car to be clean. I find that I too feel uncomfortable when it is not.
Thank you leighstrack, I highlight the “uncomfortable” feeling as possibly a ‘feeling’ not honoured. For me there is a flow and a space for everything and this all depends on me. If I am honouring my feelings then there is nothing missed. At the same time I’m not saying everything is done but you don’t have a feeling of missing or not doing anything because you are with you and so there is no room to ‘miss’ only room to appreciate further.
Thank you Raymond, feeling uncomfortable, the simplicity of a feeling not honored. Thank you.
Hello leighstrack, yes, simply nailed.
Everything you have said is so true – living in order is actually restful on the body whereas I now realise there is a tension in my body when a room is messy – it feels uncomfortable!
“living in order is actually restful on the body” – Yes, I can feel this is true Judy.
Ha – I have the same in my life & home Suzanne! (I still have this chair for clothes not clean enough to return to the cupboard, but not yet dirty enough to put in the laundry).
What I realize is that if I am tidy up – I feel clear, strong, easy, powerful, in flow and…I feel a pull. It is like I am in a river and I have all these fallen and broken tree branches and stones in the way and if I clear them up the river flows more, it pulls me to the sea. And a part of me wants to stay in my little river, hanging around bathing. But I guess with time I will rot in my own bath (or ‘organised chaos’). It’s time to swim, surrender to the pull and time to unite again with the other rivers to join the one big sea. Time to iron out all that is holding be back.
“It is like I am in a river and I have all these fallen and broken tree branches and stones in the way and if I clear them up the river flows more, it pulls me to the sea. And a part of me wants to stay in my little river, hanging around bathing. But I guess with time I will rot in my own bath (or ‘organised chaos’). It’s time to swim, surrender to the pull and time to unite again with the other rivers to join the one big sea. Time to iron out all that is holding be back.” – Wow Sandra, I love the analogy, it has given me inspiration to keep all the “broken tree branches and stones” out of the way of the “flowing river”.
I had a great reflection when I was out on my walk today, there were sticks and rubbish and all sorts of unnecessary objects stuck on a brick wall where the water was otherwise flowing over and into the pond and it reminded me of your comment, Sandra.
I relate all too well with that chair in the corner of the room!!! My bedroom is always a telling sign as to how i am going on a day to day basis. The level of order and cleanliness is directly related to the level of love I am living and how much I am truly honouring myself. And of course, the order and cleanliness has to come with a certain quality too. No use doing it out of obligation or as a rule because it just won’t have that same resonance. It’s always another opportunity to have love reflected back to me each time I walk in or past.
When my home and surroundings are clean, ordered and simplified, I feel balanced and as you say Suzanne supported. I too feel anxious when I don’t know where things are and find that returning things to their true place immediately after using them helps. I also remember the big clear and clean out after I’d allowed disorder to reign and loved how refreshing and clear the room felt afterwards. My mother each year had a ‘Spring Clean’ the annual deep clean that followed Winter. Now it feels more harmonious and supportive to clean and clear as I go along and not let things build up. Like a metaphor for life: deal with the molehill, don’t wait until it becomes a mountain to climb.
I have found the same Suzanne, I used to call it organised chaos – I knew where everything was but nobody else did. And really I still had to rummage through things to find what I was looking for so I was just fooling myself. I love it when everything is in order and life flows more, when things become a mess I always end up chasing my tail looking for things and then end up becoming agitated and anxious not knowing where things are. For me it is definitely still a learning process but one I know has huge benefits!
I love your honesty James. I love it when I am organised but yes, there are areas in my life that I need to address and when I do, I know I will feel great! Chasing my tail is exhausting, searching for things is boring, so the message is loud and clear! All I need to do it is to do it…..
That is great Lorraine – it is simply just a case of getting on and doing it rather than leaving it until later. Otherwise everything gets left until later and nothing is completed or finished at the time! It is amazing then how quickly things stack up!
I love your analogy with the lions Suzanne. I am also, “disturbed by disharmony, just like the lions, and that I like organising my home, choosing order over complexity.” At the moment I am having wardrobes built in my study and my clothes in my bedroom and living room feel chaotic and messy. I am really looking forward to getting everything in its place!
I am totally with you Suzanne, life flows when there is order.
These days I can feel when a space is impacting and calling for a clear out, often when I have gone through some shifts and changes within myself. I love the feeing of spaciousness and freshness that I am met with when I enter a space that has been lovingly cleared and arranged. It supports an overall clarity and harmony.There are so many reflections to consider here which is inviting me to look at what is next.
I have just moved to a new house and there is one space left with stuff that needs to be sorted out and it is my bedroom! I have kept my bedroom quite tidy for most of my life, in my new house I have organised everything but have left my room to the last. It is a great reflection of putting others first. Yesterday I have started to bring order in my clothes, your blog has inspired me to lovingly finish the job today and give myself an amazing space to sleep in tonight. I can feel how supporting this is.
I agree with you, there is nothing like the feeling of spaciousness when a room is put back into order.
I love this article Suzanne, I can so relate to what you have written, I grew up with a really messy room and had pride in this, I met my parter who is very tidy and ordered and after a few years of rebelling and trying to keep up my mess and thinking he was in the wrong and was much too tidy I allowed myself to feel how wonderful it is to live in a clear house that is ordered and how much clearer I feel as a result.
Hi rebeccawingrave, I too now know how wonderful it is to live in order and harmony.
In my experience, order befits a very harmonious life.
I love this blog Suzanne. I need to ensure I make the time to tidy up and create order then, as you mention, life flows and I feel so much more harmonious with myself. A while back I asked a friend to support me with clutter-clearing my wardrobe – it was brilliant!
There is something so beautiful in placing importance on a harmonious environment. Taking the time for the little things I have found add up to a lovely ordered space. I see this as an expression of love myself and those around me and so worthwhile doing.
Thank you Suzanne, I can relate to what you have shared as well as adding that when I allow the piles or chaos to build up in our home it is also a way of causing delay in what could be being done as I then have to spend a longer length of time clearing thus having an excuse to not be doing what is more important. I know how it feels to stay committed to the order as this brings feeling of more space in so many ways.
Order, tidiness and precision around the home Suzanne, all music to my ears. It is always an indicator to me when I have deviated off track if I begin to allow disorder in my room. The moment I begin to clear it, it changes what I feel within myself and I feel much more steady and equipped to face life.
Your story brought back a memory of me a mate living sharing a flat, it was organized chaos that seemed to work for us. My clean clothes were on the right side of the bed of the floor and the dirty were on the left side. When there were no more clothes on the right is was time to wash and the process would start again. We had two skillets, one each that we would cook and eat out of, tin foil for oven cooking. I am a long way away from my man cave days. I still have way to much stuff that needs new homes, but it is a work in progress. I love my order and things in place. At home or work living in an orderly way just allows the day to flow.
What I have discovered is that how committed I am to my home and garden to be tidy and clear is a reflection of how committed I am to myself and my body. A gorgeous support in so far that whenever I realize that my home is not clear and light, I know that there is something to look at inside of me that I have chosen not to look at before.
I love how the lions work together on their dinner, no one better, no one less, just together.
I love having my work and home environments tidy and having things in order, there is a natural flow, and as you’ve said Suzanne, surprises don’t pull me away from this – I can more easily deal with them when they come along, my mind feels clear, and I’ve noticed I don’t need an ongoing To Do list. I just know what needs to be done as I’m not fighting through a fog of clutter and what I call ‘noise’ from things being left unfinished or from the disregard of not finding a natural resting place for things (which is sometimes the bin!).
I agree Suzanne; life just seems to flow more easily when there is order. Complexity is very jarring and certainly is not any good for the body.
I loved reading this blog Suzanne and can so relate to what you have shared. I have been appreciating myself of late just how much I enjoy order. Like you, I rebelled against it as a kid, but particularly over the past 12 months I have been enjoying the support that order offers me on a daily basis and now I enjoy bringing order into different aspects of my life. There are still quite a few area’s to go, but getting there!
This is great Susanne! I can so relate to enjoying the feeling of order and flow in the household. There is nothing worse than living in a slightly untidy space and feeling the anxiousness of this, because I know I am 2 steps behind when this happens. It feels great to clean up, re-order and take a breath. Ive noticed that when things are in order and I’m in stillness I can actually see more clearly as well.
I love what you share here Suzanne and relate well to loving a tidy space. I find I feel all scattered if things get in a mess and that harmony is restored when everything is where is should be for ease and flow of my living. This sums it up beautifully. Thank you.
“I have come to realise that I am disturbed by disharmony, just like the lions, and that I like organising my home, choosing order over complexity.”
What a great observation with the lions and how they work in an ordered way for their next feed…imagine if they were running all over the place in chaos, not working together or making it about themselves and not the group … us humans have a lot to learn and thank God for giving us a reflection like this in nature. And thank you Suzanne for sharing this with us.
This dimension of working in an ordered way, together as a team is the way to go for us as human beings. To understand the order we are living in and the interdependency that is established in this asks from us to set aside our little selves and to allow ourselves to become part of the whole, important and needed to be and do our part of the whole.
I love order too, Suzanne I am learning that any sort of chaos whether it is in the home or in my mind breeds complication. I love what you say about feeling disturbed by dis-harmony, it is a great stop marker to become aware that there is something that is not quite right, before it becomes dis-order and chaos.
Beautiful article Suzanne thank you.I love the way you have connected to the discipline and precision with which the lions hunt, how nature continually reflects to us order, team work, simplicity and no mess. Animals never leave a mess, everything is disposed of. I too am appreciating more and more the joy of keeping my home tidy, organised, loved and studying with Serge Benhayon for over 10 years has definitely supported me to established new rhythms to my life that make this way of living very natural. We are part of a very ordered world and when we choose to align to this order, then life flows. Still working on how to include weeding the garden though!
Suzanne having yesterday had a big re-order and clean in my home I felt the immense difference this has bought for me. It certainly feels far more supportive and a loving place to be. From here life flows rather than getting clogged up. It’s no a moment by moment choice for me to keep it this way something that your blog has reminded me of. Thank you.
Not being the greatest of people when it comes to tidiness this is a very practical article to support me to make change. Thank you Suzanne.
Great blog Suzanne, having lived most of my life in a sort of organised chaos, I can really relate and having some sort of order is just so much better. I love tidy and after reading this blog I’m going to make even more effort to bring more order less clutter and greater harmony.
Dear Suzanne,
You could have been writting about my life in your article. I too had a very messy room as a child and carried this on into my teens. My dumping spot though was under my bed, because Mum couldn’t see it there, or so I thought.. But yes Mum did push me to clean my room regularly and yes I felt how lovely it felt, now in my own home I am just now taking my care and attention to my home to a more honouring level and like you am finding that I actually really love it when it is in order. When it is not I feel preasured and pushed, which I have realised completely rocks my steadiness. Each week now I dedicate some time to addressing the different parts of my home that have been annoying me. This feels so beautiful, as not only is my home feeling more ordered, but I feel steadier in my self.
The title says it all – choosing order over complexity, which I also find with a clean, tidy and ordered house,my life flows so much easier, and in this flow I attract things a lot easier.
Thank you Suzanne for a timely reminder that dealing with all the clutter in life clears away many of the distractions and allows a flow to enjoy the space I live in.
What a fun blog to read Suzanne, and a great reflection of how being ordered and structured enables harmony and flow. I used to think I was somewhat ‘anal’ because I am very organised and structured in a number of areas of my life (but not all!). Now I appreciate what a foundation of steadiness this brings and the harmony that I feel as a result.
I like the way you have made a connection between what you have seen in a documentary on nature and your own environment that you live in. You are right a tidy and orderly room is refreshing and and makes you feel so rejuvenated.
Reading this has highlighted how much I am disturbed by disharmony too and that I really do love the feeling of having a tidy ordered space or a really good clean out.
“I feel no anxiety – the more organised and ready I am, the more equipped I feel to handle what life brings”. I can relate very much to what you are sharing Suzanne as I actually find it hard to have clear thoughts if I am surrounded by mess and chaos. One of the things I find myself loving to do is tidy up when I am a little out of sorts. The action itself allows me to connect to my body and the end result leaves a space that is light, open and supportive.
I love the reflection you bring with the lions, Suzanne. I can so much feel the order, the being organized but also the absolute commitment to work together, the connection the lions have between each other and how they use their sensitivity and awareness to do the right thing in the right time as a harmonious play between themselves. Wow, to run a house and a family with this commitment to life and to people is truly amazing and inspiring.
It is so true Suzanne Anderssen, that order in life is supporting us to handle whatever life asks of us. I see it also happening in our house and on my work. In the past I used to have a tidy house and workplace and I did it because that was what I grew up with or was told how to do it, but now I have a tidy house and workplace because I feel it supports me and my family and the tidiness and orderliness comes from within, not from someone that tells me to bring any order to it in any way, shape or form.
So great to have listed, here in this blog, all the ways how things flow better when there is order, something I suspect everyone knows and feels the truth of easily. I know this too but can underestimate it sometimes and prioritize others things. I was pondering this yesterday when I had a few things to do and considered leaving some dishes until later, I paused and decided not to just in feeling that not doing them was going to create more drain in what I needed to move on to do. It was such a tempting thought born out of a feeling of overwhelm but actually the delay creates less flow and sabotages evolution.
A great example, thank you for the reminder Deanne.
I have found that its not really the organisation I love but the quality and routine it allows me to operate in.
A simple example:
A clean = more time in the morning because I’m not in disarray searching and feeling confined in the space I have created for myself.
Instead of getting myself into a spin I found myself doing activity that replicate the quality as orderliness and clarity.
I feel everyone can relate to the experiences you’ve shared here Suzanne, in that the clarity of thought and emotional balance you felt came from organising your home in a supportive way. Perhaps this proves how our outer world is a reflection of what is going on inside of us, and vice versa. If more people lived by this principle there could be more self-loving choices for our own bodies and our environment around us.
Great blog, Suzanne. What I have noticed is that when I see disorder and untidiness in my surroundings, it seems to be indicating a lack of conscious presence and disregard. If I move from one activity to another preoccupied by a thought, and/or caught up in busy-ness, my action is somehow incomplete and things get left where they shouldn’t be.
The amazing power of order! And it does have an influence on us how things are inside drawers, on the attic or in the basement, even though we never open them or never go there. I experienced that my whole life turned around to love and joy – even becoming more stable financially – when I started to order every corner of my house.
I love how you took a simple documentary to reflect it back into your life & share it. Nature is always reflecting back to us, if we are ready to see or hear the messages. I do find order does support me & though I like surprises, they can affect me if I choose to give up my rhythm in that moment. Our home is a reflection of the state we are in – within & also when we start to bring clarity around us, a space is also created within us. Thanks for such a a beautiful reflection Suzanne.
Thanks for making it so clear how order and tidiness support our daily rhythm – and as to the example of the lions closing in on the zebra, there is another lesson for me and that is to be patient and trust the timing.
Love this Gabriele, ‘to be patient and trust the timing’ these words have just lifted me so that I feel 12 feet tall. Thank you
Beautiful observation Gabriele. Patience and not allowing distraction to creep in. I cannot help but imagine lions with mobile phones, sending texts and checking emails or playing games instead of waiting…watching…
They would starve to death!
I guess what I am understanding is that presence and awareness are a substantial part of maintaining order.
What a great lesson … To be patient and trust the timing … And I would add … For there is an order to life that Iyet to comprehend and am developing my awareness of. What you share Suzanne is an insight I am coming to terms with and embracing more and more in my life – the sacredness in order.
It is so beautiful to read that you have been inspired to not override the anxiety that is felt in the face of disorder and disharmony and have committed to choosing to live organised and tidy and as such are now appreciating the amazing benefits of this simplicity and order in your home. Gorgeous.
I agree Samantha it is inspiring and great to read. We can ‘think’ we get away with leaving things but really it all catches up with us.
Thank you Suzanne for your honest sharing on how keeping our homes clean and organised can have wonderful effects on how we live our day to day lives.
I can remember growing up, my room a mess, clothes thrown everywhere- it clearly reflected the anger and resentment I felt, which was not expressed verbally at the time it needed to be. But then when I lovingly cleared my room I felt good about myself and life. I was more cheerful and openhearted. Things flowed during the day.
I can recall an embarrassing moment when I was a mother with four young children and my brother and his new wife visited us unexpectedly just after we had moved back to Melbourne. We were out when they arrived and they had let themselves in. We return home not long after to this very worried couple who were sure somebody had ransacked our home and stolen our furniture. I was so embarrassed because I had to explain to this very well-to-do woman from Elisabeth Bay that this was all we had and it was just the mess we had left it in! A far cry from the order and harmony in my life now since Universal Medicine.
Suzanne, you’ve shown us how we can sort out much of the clutter in our lives by cleaning up our act (or should I say environment).
When I’m disorganised and my desk or office is in disarray, then so am I. Yet it extends further into how organised I am when preparing meals, or getting the dishes done promptly, or keeping the yard looking fabulous. I also find that disorder is a consequence of distractions.
As you say, disorder creates disharmony and a tension in my body- which is telling me to get my act together.
I love this blog Suzanne… And soooo many parts were all to familiar to me in relating to my own experience! I have throughout my life been able to feel what it’s like to have order and also what its like to have organized chaos, and although I’ve moved between these 2 states at various times and in various parts of my life, it was never with any rhythm or consistency. What I have come to realize is that although there were many parts of me that loved the feeling of order, there was equally a comfort in the disorder which also was the perfect excuse for me to stay stuck in certain patterns and momentums. It’s only been since I have taken more responsibility for my life that I can feel exactly how much order supports myself but also how it supports ‘everything’ and ‘everyone, and that its about being consistent in the rhythm and quality of this order.
I totally agree Angela as I can also, ‘ feel exactly how much order supports myself but also how it supports ‘everything’ and ‘everyone, and that its about being consistent in the rhythm and quality of this order’. Everything counts absoutley everything!
Me too Angela, I still find times where I catch myself choosing the disorder, because when I am doing this, I don’t feel my amazing self and drop back into my own personal place of comfort. Yet in this old pattern, I now don’t feel comfort any more, now I feel agitated and annoyed, so this is a great marker as it has shown me that part of my old pattern was the comfort of putting energy into being annoyed and agitated, instead if dealing with the untidiness or hurt.
I love how you have introduced our responsibility here Angela, that when we live with a consistency of rhythm and order in our lives it supports not only us, but everyone…and every thing.
I couldn’t have said it better myself Angela, sometimes the disorder has actually suited my need for comfort….
When everything is ordered it feels great, I love the feeling of it and am working on creating more of this in my life.
Yes, I relate Angela, completely. That stuck, sluggish “can’t be bothered” pattern of thinking was part and parcel of my messiness. So much was a hassle, because I would have to find whatever it was before I could get and do anything. The greatest excuse not to get on and do everything that needs to be done.
Angela, thank you for your comment. I can relate to what is being said here. Having order within the home is about consistency in the rhythm and quality of this order. Although I know this to be true, I am not living in the consistency of this. It’s as though I have this belief that the house is not worthy of the attention and love that it deserves and that other distractions like work are more important! As I write this comment I can feel the reflection this is bringing to me of how I feel about myself and my body…much for me to ponder on here.
Thank you Angela I can really relate to this and it is great to acknowledge it: “…although there were many parts of me that loved the feeling of order, there was equally a comfort in the disorder which also was the perfect excuse for me to stay stuck in certain patterns and momentums”.
So true, Suzanne, I can relate to what you say, as I feel completely not with it if I allow chaos into my life, home, car or surroundings. When present with myself I find that I can instinctively pick up something that is out of place as I walk from one room to another, return it to its place, and this helps keeping it all simple and easy. Nature or natural is the way!
Yes indeed, I have to agree Susan it is disturbing when one is surrounded by chaos. I really cannot start any task around the home until I have put everything in order first.
Yes I agree Susan, order has always been super important for me, without it life feels almost overwhelming.
I love order and I love group work so this blog gets a big thumbs up from me!
Hear Hear Nicola! When we work together with purpose, we can communicate without words. It takes ‘order in order’ to reach the level of communication that claims the catch or fulfils the purpose. Great blog from Suzanne!
I love this Suzanne – re-connecting with divine order. It’s amazing how when we do observe how everything is connected life flows from one to the next. No flow means the connection is lost even momentarily. Super simple. Internet connection is like that: it is or is not connected. No connection, nothing happens, except what we do to respond or react.
Thanks Suzanne for such a practical article that makes such a difference to noticing if the environment around us offers us support or distraction or drain!
Agree, and I love the way you’ve brought the amazing examples within nature into this blog Suzanne. A pack of lions are immensely disciplined, steady and patient and in respect of each other knowing they need the whole group to be in harmony. We can learn so much from them.
A great observation I feel Suzanne – and I have also discovered that my life is more harmonious if I constantly re-visit bringing order and simplicity into my surroundings in my home, and in my life in general. Thank you.
Yes, and that includes my work desk – constantly a tension between the various projects I do and more order.
Simplicity is one of the greatest assets we have in life, but is takes a commitment to maintain it.
Totally with you on the orderliness and precision aspect Suzanne, our home space being a reflection on a particular ‘aspect’ of our life, and that when we go and order our space through tidying, sorting, colour-coding, labelling, cleaning (or whatever) that ‘aspect’ we’re dealing with then feels so wonderfully flowing and spacious. The former stagnated way gives way to movement. We can move on. This feeling is unbeatable. So fresh and clear.
This is so inspiring Zofia, I am just so ready to embrace more of it
Agreed Zofia. It is unbeatable. I went through my linen press, threw out the things that needed throwing and got it in order. I love opening the door to its loveliness now, and even though I am the only one who sees it, it impacts throughout my home. It is no longer a mess lurking behind a closed door.
Yes, there is nothing better than clearing out dead spots in the house or areas that need a pick me up. My clothes cupboard is calling right now for some love and attention.