The spiritual value of a tidied space
Decluttering allows the soul to breathe
As a child, I couldn’t understand why grown-ups were so fussy about tidying up. Clearing up was so annoying ! Moreover, a bit of mess didn’t prevent me from playing. The adults around me rarely played. I remember wondering how they could be content with their boring existence. I could have accepted the idea of clearing up to gain more space to play, but that never seemed to be the reason why it was done. On the contrary, the idea was more something like « don’t play and make a mess now that everything’s put back in place ».
Fast-forward 30 years later, and I’ve become a tidying-up adept. It’s amazing how we sometimes turn into the very kind of person we’re sure we’ll never resemble. I now enjoy the spiritual satisfaction of having a tidied space. There seems to be a connection with how tidied I feel inside. A tidy space unclutters the soul. It’s as if seeing nothing out of place allows the soul to breathe. Even the most mundane act like clearing the table produces in fact a spiritual benefit. Somehow the order or disorder transposes from the outside to the inside. And probably the other way around, too. I remember witnessing the terrible state of an appartment rented to a woman addicted to playing online games. I couldn’t help thinking that the state of her interior reflected the state of her soul. She hadn’t grown up yet and didn’t mind living in a mess.
This spring I pushed the tidying up even further, by sorting items which are usually hidden from my eyes and reordering them behind cupboard doors. I felt like my soul reached a new and deeper level of peace. Knowing that even beyond the visible, things are tidy and organized, is a relief. And sometimes, I connect with my inner child and take time to play with children around an uncluttered table. One day, they too will understand the value of a tidy space.
