When I think of life, and all the challenges we all face on a day-to-day basis, I think of it as a room that often needs a good cleaning, or at the very least a concerted effort to keep it tidy. Hey! we gotta live there! Keeping the four corners of our own lives in order is enough work on its own, so why do so many of us take on cleaning the rooms of others?I do not think any of us have the perfect room, ( life), so lending our authority, and opinions to help others manage their space is most often stepping uninvited over their threshold, and beyond our boundaries. I know we say we do it out of love, or that someone needs our help, but really, if you do not share their room with them, then it is not your place to clean it up!
Brightening the space of ones you love is honorable and note worthy. I know I always try to help the ones closest to me. Sometimes I think I know the best arrangements for their room, but I really don’t! My opinion for their space might only offend, and at the very worst alienate them from my good intentions.
So remember, it is not our responsibility to rearrange the lives of others. What may work for one may not work for another’s. Be proud of the work you do in your own room, share the secrets of your space,(when asked), and don’t be hurt or disappointed if someone you want to influence arranges their space in a different way. In other words, to rearrange a phrase, “One man’s mess, is another mans mansion.”
If we think about our lives having rooms that need to be kept in order, we should manage them daily, and keep things moving forward so we are not overwhelmed. It is much more productive to keep our rooms clean, and not intrusively concern ourselves with how others deal with their space.
Finally, If you think you have your room in order, and want to offer some well-meaning advice to a “messy” friend, or family member…. Don’t! Stephen Spurling
