Swiffer

Does anyone else heave a dramatic sigh of relief when time changes in the spring? As soon as it's light outside at 6pm (I'm in Chicagoland, so we're on CST), I know I've made it.

We survived the cold, dark winter!

My folks came up to visit last night and after lots of laughter, stories, and a legendary stuffed, deep-dish pizza crafted by my chef hubby, I ran around with unabashed glee as I flipped every clock in the house forward an hour.

[In my head, I was singing, "it's the most wonderful time of the year!"]

[Wait. Maybe I was singing it out loud.]

Appropriately enough, the time change last night ushered in unseasonably warm temps, begging us to throw open the curtains and open windows for the first time since October. It's rather sad, I rarely see my own house in the daylight. Between the short hours of daylight in winter and the long hours at work, it's unusual to be home when it's bright and sunny outside.

So today, when temps in the upper 60's rolled in, I threw open all the curtains around our house and immediately coughed at all the dust I inadvertently stirred up. Isn't it funny how you notice all the cobwebs and dust bunnies when sunshine flows in every window and illumines the dirt?

It was embarrassing. I grabbed the Swiffer and went to work on those cobwebs.

I have to wonder if our inner habits aren't much different. We get in our grooves, doing the same thing every day, and functioning without really seeing our houses in the daylight. It's humbling to throw open the curtains in your own soul and notice the cobwebs that formed during your inattention to the important things.

I think I need a Swiffer for my soul.

I'm in this place of introspection as I have my first coaching session with the leader of our Leadership Enhancement program tomorrow. We were given ten pages of spiritually-based questions about Christian leadership. The questions are tough and yet it's very easy to figure out where you're missing the mark.

It's as though this leadership program is pulling the curtains back in the dark rooms of my house before I know what's happening. I come home to my proverbial house and it's blazingly full of light...and I can see all the dust bunnies and cobwebs in the neglected corners.

I'm trying to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. And I'm still endlessly grateful for this program, even if it does force me to ride without the training wheels when I'm still feeling wobbly.

What do you do to welcome spring? Do you Swiffer your cobwebs?!