Fall Cleaning and Burping the House — Donna Hopkins

I love fall cleaning. I can’t remember where I read about the concept of “burping” a house, but the idea stuck with me. I opened every window in the house today, with temperatures in the low 60’s, and let the entire house breathe. The curtains rustled in the breeze, and it was really kind of magical. I love the swirl of air around my body. I sleep with a little bedside fan. I love to wear clothes loose enough to feel a layer of air between me and the fabric.

Since the windows were all open, I wiped out the window sills, too. I did a little decluttering and took a good hard look at the systems and routines that keep us running. I aim to be as organized as I need to be to make my life easier—no more and no less. I used to feel weirdly apologetic about being organized, as though I was, in some way, making other people feel uncomfortable. I had an unsettled feeling that I was being judged and labeled as obsessive, and this certainly might have been true. Though mostly, I am organized because I enjoy the practices involved and see them as beneficial to my life. But, this tendency to try to manage other people’s feelings, well . . . it’s something I am leaving behind. It’s just not useful in any capacity.