Friday, June 29, 2007

How To Make Time For The Ones You Love

Imagine if you will the life of Suzy - the busy, married mother of two wonderful children. She works a full time job, both inside and outside of the house; she is busy trying to be a devoted daughter and sister to her parents and siblings. Suzy is somehow managing to keep her head above water. The house stays fairly clean, the kids get their homework done, and she and her husband are doing ok. However she just can't avoid the feeling that something is missing. Suzy doesn't remember the last time she did something just for fun with her kids or her husband. Each day feels like the same routine and experiencing bonding or important moments with her loved ones is rare.

All the way across town, Ron is getting ready for his day. He owns his own small business and being the boss cuts down on his free time a lot. His friends and family constantly complain that they never see him or get to talk to him for more than a few minutes at a time. While Ron loves what he does for a living, it is starting to seem as if work is all he does. He wants the opportunity to spend time on his hobbies and relax with his loved ones, but there aren't enough hours in the day.

These two people have widely different lives. The one thing they do have in common, however, it not having enough time to spend with their loved ones. Many times in our lives we struggle with making all of our obligations and responsibilities fit into our schedules. The result is that our loved ones lose out on valuable and important time with us. At the same time, we, too, are losing out on the affection and rewards of being part of a family larger than ourselves.

The best laid plans often go wrong. For this reason, it would be incredibly helpful for you to consider using Feng Shui to decorate your home and give yourself more time to spend with those you love. The process isn't difficult and many people who experience Feng Shui for the first time are amazed at how much it improves every aspect of their lives. This ancient Oriental philosophy is centered on the idea of creating a space that enables positive energies to flow around your home. Any obstacle or impediment of this process creates an imbalanced atmosphere. If finding more time to enjoy and bond with your loved ones is important to you, here's your chance to make a positive step in the right direction.

The first rule in any Feng Shui changes is to eliminate clutter throughout the house. Completely and thoroughly clean and organize every nook and cranny of your home. Get rid of items you don't use and find a home for everything you are keeping. Don't forget about cabinet space and closets. Once this is done, you have a clean canvas to work your Feng Shui magic on.

In order to create a relaxed atmosphere that promotes time spent among those you love, look at your lighting. Excessively bright light is often too stimulating. You will feel the need to be at constant work with such bright light in your home. Change all of the light bulbs in the house to a lower wattage. The balance and relaxation allowed by the dimmer lights will help you to focus on the softer side of life and that includes the love and devotion of your family.

Water is an important element in Feng Shui. The sound of gently flowing water is essential in helping you and your family find the relaxed state you need to concentrate on each other and thrive in the family unit. In the living or family room, or whichever room the family spends the most time in, add a small water fountain. The sound of running water alone will encourage relaxation and focus on each other. In Feng Shui, it also helps to relieve the stresses of the day and wash away any nagging worries or concerns you may have related to work.

Things that are beautiful are very helpful in promoting stress relief and focus. In order to lift yourself spiritually to a higher plane, put a shelf up in the corner of your bedroom. Then pick a pretty vase or small piece of artwork on the shelf. Seeing something you enjoy placed higher than eye level will assist you in making the transition from work to home and enable the positive energies to properly flow.

It may not seem like its possible for something like Feng Shui to be able to help you find more time to enjoy your family and friends, but when the good chi is encouraged to flow, it can make a tremendous difference in how the whole family interacts and learns from each other. Just a few small changes make a huge difference.