Do you remember hearing the “Clean Up” song as a young child? Maybe you’ve recently played it for some little ones? The song is meant as a sweet call to action for young children to clean up communal spaces in the home. However, I suspect all adults, myself included, could use a reminder every now and again to work in harmony, to clean up our surroundings, and restore peace and order to shared community spaces.

Although National CleanUp Day falls on September 16th this year, any day this month that works in your schedule would be a good one for a revitalization project. Perhaps your town is in need of volunteers to pick up roadside trash, or maybe you want to organize something more concrete, say, replacing old crayons at a local preschool with entirely new sets, donated for the children to enjoy?

The important thing, I think, is to choose something that speaks to you, that elicits passion, a project that promotes a cleaner community, and yet also— and this is the important part— lifts you up as well.

September is a month of transition. We start with those last hot days of summer and end with leaves falling all around us, a vivid indication that we are turning a corner in life. Cleaning up the world around us is certainly practical, but there is also something soulful about it; bringing sensibility to disorder is satisfying on some innate level.

Certainly, we could use a bit of revitalization with most of this year behind us, and what better time to bring a fresh start to life than this month with its increasingly crisp days? Do reach out and let me know if you decide to take on a project. I’m looking forward to hearing what you do with September!