Creating interior space

I spent much of yesterday taking down the Christmas decorations, which means that the Buddhas in the living room are stepping forward again and making their presence known.

I get the feeling my belief system works a little like that, as well, taking on a more flamboyant Christian tinge as the year draws to a close and then shifting back into a more Buddhist understanding (tempered by the Sufi influence of Hafiz and Rumi) as the New Year begins.

I do know that there's always a sort of desperate longing for retreat after the craziness of the holidays has passed; a hunger for quiet, gray skies, still waters and more nourishing food sets in; an urge to pare down and live more simply. Perhaps that's what leads to that phenomenon known as Spring Cleaning: airing out the cupboards, clearing out possessions, creating a little space in the brain...