Integration and a Huge Mess in My Own Kitchen

Integration

I talk a lot about the importance of Integration and Grounding as steps in energy clearing. Integration itself is an act of putting energy and things “back where they belong”, or organizing them more efficiently. Kind of a leap in thinking for energy and soul work. But recently it’s a literal, physical lesson I’ve been learning.

My partner moved in with me in February. With that came a lot of learning points, how to work our schedules, how to work around one or both of us being sick, how to function when both of us had surgery within a week of each other (one planned, one emergency), and surprisingly, how to integrate our households. I thought “No big deal. David isn’t bringing any furniture, or large things. I organize other people’s houses *all* the time.”

Well **EFF** was I wrong. For 6 weeks, there was stuff everywhere. It’s been several months and somethings still don’t have a place.

Integrating here has changed everything. I had to start cooking more food to feed an extra person, and then realizing that just cooking more wasn’t enough. I had to do extra planning so there was enough for both he and I to take lunch with us. I had to nudge that notion in his head too after I took a contract position. Since he works third shift, and gets home shortly after I leave for work, he gets some downtime alone in the mornings, while I come home at 6 p.m., wake him for work, spend a few minutes with my daughter, and so he was often the one cooking dinner, because he’s had some rest, and I was just then getting to sit down for the day. Interesting for me to learn, but it used to always be me that cooked.

See our pretty red coffee maker

Little things, like integrating his vitamins, and his post-surgery medications, getting a coffee maker (I don’t drink coffee but he bought one that matched my kitchen decor sqqqueee), buying more plastic containers for all the food and lunches, moving in video game systems (I get motion sickness but Riley is on cloud-9), getting a sound system (where I always used closed captioning because I can NEVER hear the TV, David upgraded us since he made it clear it wasn’t just me that couldn’t hear it.)

Slow but Sure Solutions:

Our kitchen was becoming a hot button. And when I say that imagine a yelling red-head throwing utensils. Not very balanced Goddessly— more Kali, Goddess of Destruction. Nothing makes me crazier than coming into the kitchen with a handful of stuff and every single surface being covered.

SO, we decided to clean out and organize the kitchen (two days after I had emergency surgery– I’m not always a genius. :/)

Click for examples of bamboo organizers.

I bought bamboo organizers for the kitchen, some “stretchers” that make the drawers divided, a new utensil organizer, and some drawer organizers. David and I took everything that was expired or we didn’t like out of the cabinets. Two hours in and we were exhausted, and went to bed. It has taken almost two weeks to make the mess we (read: I) made manageable, and David made a few Kali screeches during the time too.

So if you want an idea of what my solutions and client-tested/my-house-tested process looks like, here’s a video.

Let me know if any of these ideas help in your world!

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Erica

Erica Cosminsky Edwards is an Interior Stylist and Designer, and Certified Feng Shui Practicioner holding her Red-Ribbon Feng Shui Practitioner’s Certification from the International Feng Shui Guild.

She has extensively studied Chinese medicine, Chinese face-reading, Nine Star Ki, and energy healing, as well as traditional design, and psychology.

A life-time student of life, Erica loves to read and learn new things. When she's not on the phone with her clients, you might find her at a locally owned coffee shop (not drinking coffee), or at one of the local libraries.

She lives just outside Nashville, Tennessee with her husband David, and her daughter, Riley, 4 cats: Princess Pudding Puff, the Scottish Fold, Niko, the chatty Russian Blue, Duchess, the dumpster cat, and David's kitten, Eva Marie.

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