Do You Know Your Space?

I am hired to view other peoples spaces and find the errors and the possibilities. This past weekend, I discovered a hidden flaw in my own bedroom. It's why I have such deep respect for an exercise I created called 'Fresh Eyes.' You exit your home (or perhaps a particular room that is posing a challenge) and leave for at least 10 minutes. When you return, you pretend you have never been in this space before. You act like an organizing Sherlock Holmes and discover the following:

• Who lives here? Is it one person? A couple? Lovers, friends or roommates?

• Are children part of the home? If so, what ages are they?

• Do these folks have hobbies?

• Are pets part of the equation?

• Do the occupants seem tidy or sloppy?

• Does the room have too little furniture or too much?

You get the idea. If you surrender to the exercise, you will learn amazing things. In fact, I'd love to hear what you discover. One of my favorite students said: "I finally saw what everyone is complaining about." Bingo.

Lessons at Home

I meditate in my bedroom. I have an altar and feel that this is a private activity confined to the most personal room in my living space. One day a few months ago, as I hurried from my altar to the kitchen, I broke my baby left toe on a chair. The passageway from altar to entry was too narrow. I am a visual thinker and kept moving the furniture in my head. I played Fresh Eyes multiple times. Finally I realized that if I changed the position of two chairs, I'd be adding a few inches and instantly create the easy passageway I craved. No more broken toes, thank you!

Now here's the fun part. Once I added those inches, I noticed something that never caught my eye before: the movers had not placed my bed against the wall. The bed was about 2 inches away! How had I never noticed that I wondered. I moved the bed to about 1/2 inch from the wall and voila! everything was perfect.

I traveled around L.A. and Orange County for a year learning Feng Shui from a master. He used to say: Always notice how easy the entrance is to find. Now the 'entrance' to my altar and my meditation practice is open, easy and inviting.

Use fresh eyes and check out your living space. Let me know if you gain a few inches of freedom.