• RGG Home
  • About
  • Before & After
  • Services
  • Contact

Raleigh Green Gables

Organize Your Life

It’s Time to Pause

February 13, 2018



What do you say when people ask, “How are you?”

I find a lot of folks say some version of,”I am so busy.”

I recently ran into a friend, and she said, “Busy, busy busy.” Three busys! Oh my!

People are addicted to being busy, and they are addicted to telling others how busy they are.

They fill up their calendars with endless meetings, lunches, weekends trips and 8 million activities for their children, for one reason: so they do not have to take a hard look at what is really going on their lives.

They don’t want to think about their marriage, their weight, their health or how much they hate their job.

These same people who won’t pause also fill up every space in their home and office with stuff.

They do this because empty space leads to opportunities. And their ego (that terrible voice in their head) does not like change or want to move forward out of the terrible job or loveless marriage. So the ego says, “Don’t leave an inch of space anywhere in your home or office. We are afraid of change and what that could bring — like success, new love or a healthy body.”

And all this calendar filling and all this space filling leaves us angry, anxious and stressed out. Not to mention, we can’t do anything well when we are this buys, which leads to more stress because the kids and the boss notice.

I am reading “When Things Fall Apart” by Pema Chodron, and in chapter six, she addresses this phenomenon: “It’s a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately filling up space. By waiting we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as well as fundamental spaciousness,” she writes.

She continues: “If we immediately entertain ourselves by talking, by acting, by thinking — if there’s never any pause — we will never be able to relax. We will always be speeding through our lives. We’ll always be stuck with what my grandfather called ‘a good case of the jitters.’

“Refraining is a way of making friends with ourselves at the most profound level possible. We can begin to relate with what’s underneath all the bubbles and burps and farts, all the stuff that comes out and expresses itself as uptight, controlling, manipulative behavior, or whatever it is. Underneath all that there’s something very soft, very tender, that we experience as fear or edginess.”

I learned a few years ago our purpose here on Earth is to release, relax, and repeat and abundance will flow in. And I learned I am here to teach people how to do that.

But to get there, you have to pause. You have to clear the calendar and create downtime. You have to clear the kitchen counter to create space. And you have to lean into what happens next.

Filed Under: Because I Said So

(919) 623-1160

raleighgreengables@gmail.com

Leah Friedman
Hello!
I'm a professional organizer in Raleigh, North Carolina, helping people declutter their homes and work spaces.

Testimonials

I love the way my master closet looks, and my husband is very happy, too. Thank you so much for helping me through the whole process. I still can’t believe how much work we got done.
BeckyDurham
After working with Leah Friedman, the room looked and felt calm, rather than chaotic. When I am overwhelmed again, I will certainly hire her expertise and energy. What an investment in order, calm and piece of mind!  
Lucy KeenanRaleigh
Leah Friedman turned a wretched job into fun! It’s true. She even had me laughing. She is worth every penny. We plowed through two closets. They are now nicely organized, and I know where to find my clothes. I even know what I own. Leah hauled about six bags of give-aways to Interact. I heartily recommend Leah. She gets the job done! She a combo of firm, gentle and fun. Just what I needed.
Judith TillmanRaleigh
Leah helped me to organize several spaces in my home that have been on my “to do” list for years. She arrived on time, ready to tackle the projects, and made something I dreaded doing lots of fun! She never judges, is always encouraging and gets the job done in a reasonable amount of time. I highly recommend her!
Anne ShermanChapel Hill

Blogs RGG follows

  • Carolina Parent
  • Furbish Studio
  • Garden With Confidence
  • Honey and Fitz
  • Kindness Girl
  • Knick Knack Antiques
  • Ornamentea
  • Pretty Handy Girl
  • Sew Liberated
  • The Chicken Chick
  • The Style Bungalow
  • Young House Love
Raleigh Green Gables, llc
  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Before & After
  • Contact
  • raleighgreengables@gmail.com