Forest bathing, Fried Halloumi, and the Hidden Benefits of Refreshing your House
It has been full-on immersion in country living in eastern Canada these past few weeks, and I’ve been completely anti-social as a result. Big projects demand focus, and my priority right now has been decluttering our family house. After five generations of accumulating stuff, it’s no mean feat. Every day I attack another nook: a bookshelf sagging under the weight of its tomes, chests of drawers crammed with who-knows-whose clothes, cabinets rattling with teacups, an eternity of photo albums, mystery boxes hiding in closets… When it comes to some rooms, the only manageable approach is to empty them entirely, then slowly reload, allowing back in only those objects and belongings that make sense. There has been so much to give away that the local library and hospice shop are in clover. (Or perhaps, by now, they wince when they see me coming.)
Something I’m learning from this challenging task, which is not just physically labour-intensive but can also be emotionally draining, is what a cathartic and healthy thing ultimately it is to do, especially after someone has died. Heavy lifting, despite the groaning it induces, actually feels good. Problem-solving makes the brain limber. And the sense of satisfaction you get from seeing progress boosts morale and is motivating. Already a whole new sense of lightness and optimism has started to fill the house, making it feel like it has a future, not just a past.