I may be a bit odd, but I am someone who looks forward to spring cleaning as if my survival of the winter depends on the annual tradition. Closet reorganization, scrubbing floors, half.com sales, open windows, Facebook clean-out, ripped jeans, and library alphabetizing! I don’t know why this particular ritual is so awesome in my book (especially as my OCD has me cleaning/rearranging my areas of my communal house every couple of weeks year-round), but I woke up this morning nearly tingling with anticipation for this weekend.

by einschuss via flickr

This spring, however, I am attempting a different sort of spring cleaning than I’ve ever attempted before. I’m working on cleaning out my mind, my body, and my life. I’m getting more sleep, have stopped drinking, and am finally taking steps to quit smoking (you know, like not smoking all the time). I’m trying to drink more water and be in touch more with people who I respect and who show me the same. I’m taking my own advice from last spring, and snapping out of it, taking advantage of this amazing city at its best.

I’ve looked over my resolution lists for last spring/summer, and am pleasantly by how much I accomplished, but this year I’ve even more up my sleeve!

• More theater!! More all the time, need it, want it, can’t get enough! The Vagina Monologues last week only served to grow my addiction (because, come on, I got to play a sex worker totally in love with her job and teach people how to moan properly from the stage!).
• Go for runs – my neighborhood has such a great community feel to it that I want to get to know it better, plus working downtown lends itself to day running to break up my office hours.
• See some outdoor concerts: I love IOTA & DC9 and the like intensely, but DC has some wonderful outdoor venues and festivals that I’ve never gotten to truly enjoy. I’ll be seeing Great Big Sea at Wolf Trap and want to check out Fort Reno and see some of the many beautiful US Military bands do their thing all over the city.
• I want to learn more about fashion (between blogs, graphic design, art shows, and possibly splurging on some magazine subscriptions?) and learn more about my own fashion while I’m at it.
• I will totally be at PeepWeek.

I think the main vibe I’m going for these season – the kernel of truth, to quote an old friend of mine – is to slow down, truly see things, lighten up a bit (thus all the cleaning!), and figure out what my next steps might be. Limbo is fun – with parties and new friends and ridiculous adventures around every corner – but it’s tiring, too. It’s a feeling of never knowing, and I’m attempting to learn.

What about you? What are you doing differently this spring? What’s your kernel of truth?