Feathering Your Nest
I love the phrase, “feathering your nest,” because it reminds me of the power to create subtle shifts in energy in my home and my family simply by giving a little love to the surfaces and corners.
From fluffing up the pillows on my couch to bringing in beautiful fall leaves for our table there’s a feeling of liveliness, or aliveness, that ensues when I regularly touch the spaces in our home.
A simple story with a big outcome:
Recently, I had a conversation with my children (ages 10 & 8) on the way home from school. They were in a creative play rut with each other that was frustrating them and me. It all stemmed from their beloved Star Wars lego sets they received last Christmas.
Once built (the fun part) they became static plastic toys with a repetitive storyline. The kids loved them as things but were struggling to keep the play fresh and engaging. My daughter wasn’t interested in the storyline, while my son required a constant playmate to act it out with. It became an ongoing problem that this harmony-seeking-mama wanted to shift—now.
We talked about why legos are fun in the first place—you get to build and create worlds of your own with stories that can evolve and change with your interests, there’s no end to it, there’s freedom, and no playmate is necessary (although for my extroverted son, it’s always preferred).
Fast forward to Saturday. With all the wind and rain around here I decided it was time to move my daughter’s play kitchen from the covered porch to the basement play space. The kids helped but were ambivalent until I asked them to consider with me where they would like to set up a cozy playhouse. After a few other toys were put away this corner had renewed life and energy and we could all imagine the fun winter play that would happen when the temperature dropped. Best of all, my son spotted the big bag of lego pieces from his Dad’s era and asked if he could bring it to his bedroom for a while.
I could see the creative wheels in his head start to turn. His sister followed and since then the two of them are found chatting away together while making new inventions with storylines of their own. They love to show me all the unique features they’ve dreamed up. Their designs have flavor, zest, and life!
I share this story because it highlights the power of shifting energy by simply moving items around in your home. The benefits include: sparking creativity, finding harmony again, discovering solutions to problems, and tempering emotions. My mom used to tell me, as her mom told her,
when you’re in a funk and you can’t see your way out, mop your kitchen floor, you’ll feel better.
It works and here’s why:
It gets you out of your head for a moment allowing you space from that repetitive thought pattern or emotion.
It gives you something to do that you can see to completion. When you can’t find a solution to a problem or shift stuck emotions you can finish mopping your kitchen floor.
Your floor shines and you can feel satisfied with yourself, and happy that something in your world is sparkling.
There are many ways to feather your nest and we all have our unique styles and tastes. The key is to begin with something that feels easy and enjoyable and then see where it leads. Take it one surface or room at a time. Have fun and notice how it affects subtle changes in your energy and the energy of your home. Even small energy shifts can make a big difference—especially before the busyness of the holidays come rushing in and the cold slows us down a bit. That's why I created my upcoming Thriving Through The Holidays e-course. You can learn more about it here. Suggestions for feathering your nest (find one thing you can do this week):
Bring outside in by creating a changing nature shelf or table.
Rearrange your furniture.
Clear corners of cobwebs & clap away stuck energy.
Re-do inspirational bulletin boards.
Change art/photos on your walls.
Mop your floors.
Clear out junk drawers or linen closets.
Clean out your fridge.
Sort through your children’s winter wear & hand down outgrown items.
Clear clutter in your living space & bring in something “new” to enjoy, light candles, add a blanket to cozy up with on the couch.
Box up toys that don’t get played with right now & put them away for a rainy day—your children will see the remaining toys in a new way w/o the clutter.
Fill your home with delicious smells—diffuse essential oils, burn incense, or do some baking together.
Create an altar of items that have special meaning and beauty for you.
Make a new playlist for your listening pleasure.
Have your family dig in and help get those laundry baskets put away.