Clear the Path To Your Door

Last year, I sat down to talk with Seattle Feng Shui expert Piper Lauri Salogga. Before I spoke with her, I didn’t know anything about Fung Shui (including how to pronounce it!) But over cups of tea at the cozy Volunteer Park Cafe, I learned a little about this ancient art, and how it helps to create a calming home that reflects what we most love and value. The Feng Shui design practice that stuck with me the most is the importance of clearing the path. This week, since I’m exploring all things entryway, I thought it would be fun to end with a post about how to clear the path to your door, and why it is such a game changer!

The importance of the path

According to Feng Shui, if the path to our door is cluttered, it can make us feel stuck in our lives. Each item that obscures the path, becomes like a mini-road block for us and our guests. If we want to invite good things and people into our lives, we need to make it clear and welcoming! This concept made so much sense to me. I thought about times when my path in life felt easy and, as they say, “all the doors seemed to open.” I wanted to create that “open door” feeling in my life too!

Where I started

The first step I took in clearing my path was to walk it with curiosity. When I walked toward my own front door, here’s what I saw: an overgrown grass nearly blocking the first step, a sticking front gate, a wheelbarrow full of rocks and mud, my husband’s dirty yardwork clothes in a heap on the front porch, and a pile of sand on the door mat. Not exactly the path I was most hoping for, if you know what I mean! Since I was focusing on curiosity and not on judgement, I stayed the course. We’ve been working to re-plant the front yard all summer, so most of this mess is temporary and a result of that project. I’ve noticed that it’s easy for me to forget about the outside path to my front door. I usually focus way more on the inside– or so I thought. Let’s go there next.

I walked the path from the inside to the door, and found a stinky lunchbox from the day before, a hoodie that had grass sticking to the fleece lining, my unzipped workbag, and my husband’s house shoes. Oh, there was also a wrapper from a fruit chew sticking to the rug and then to my sock. Turns out, it’s also not the loveliest of exits/entries! Again, focus on curiosity. My children are enjoying their new fruit chews, and I’m happily tired after working with new clients. All good things, even if they make a mess.

What I did

I started with the outside– cutting back the grass that blocked the first stair to make it easy to take the first step, and opening the gate to invite people in, while my sweet husband emptied the wheel barrow and put his work clothes away. I swept the porch, vacuumed the doormat, cleaned the door and the siding near the door with soap and water, cleared it of spider webs, and swept the path all the way to the front gate. To treat myself, I bought a flaming orange flower and planted it in a fun orange pot! It reminds me of the fiery colors and energy I love most about fall.

You can read what I did on the inside entry in my recent post, “How to organize your entryway so you love coming home.”

How it makes me feel

This week, I’ve noticed that my coming and going have been easier. I’ve felt happy to see a clear path to my bright yellow door, and uplifted by those orange flowers. I’ve started to notice all the things we’ve accomplished in the yard this summer, and all the hard work my husband and father in-law put in to make it really beautiful. It’s given me new appreciation and a spring in my step. If you try it, let me know how it makes you feel, too!