As the spring trees and flowers start to bloom in my neighborhood, I'm happy to be outside among the blossoms, especially since another covid surge could be around the corner. Many of you have shared that you're experiencing various levels of struggle between isolation and connection. That's where Feng Shui comes in.

I define Feng Shui as a design system for arranging your interior surroundings in harmony and balance with the natural world around you. We all feel better when we're outside. In nature, everything moves and flows. The words Feng Shui mean "wind and water." Think about being outside on a glorious spring day. The trees are full and the flowers are blooming, the sky is blue, the breeze is pleasant. If you're lucky, you are near meandering water or an undulating landscape. You feel great! In contrast, inside in our built environment, we have to deal with straight lines, harsh angles, and pointed edges before we can feel comfortable. The goal of Feng Shui changes is to position and reposition objects and art to make your interior space feel just as comfortable as when you're outside looking at cherry blossoms and tulips.

And speaking of being outside, covid concerns seem to have made it harder than ever when you're outside and looking for the loo. Earlier this month, a boutique where I've shopped for more than 10 years refused to let me use their restroom after I made my purchases. They said they no longer have a "public" restroom. Hmmm. Guess they no longer have me as a customer, either.

It seems that this is not a new issue for me. Five years ago, I wrote about this same problem in a spring newsletter: "I finally found a Starbucks (is this the only part of the city that doesn't have one on every corner?) and bought a bottle of water. The barista with the key had to personally escort me to the restroom and unlock the door. Then - no surprise here - the restroom was a disgusting mess. And, it was a full flight of stairs deep into the bowels of the building (play on words intended). Looking for the loo shouldn't be this hard."

At least now, five years later, there are apps to help us find restrooms and Starbucks keeps theirs unlocked in many places.

With this on my mind, it won't surprise you that I decided to write about bathrooms for this month's main article. These tips are for your home bathrooms, of course. I have lots of strong advice for public rest rooms, but I'll save that for another rant.

I hope you are able to take away at least one tip from this newsletter to help you create spring harmony in your home and workplace, especially if you work from home in any hybrid arrangement. Starting with this Spring issue, the Feng Shui to the Rescue Newsletter will become a quarterly publication in keeping with the seasonal theme of my practice. I'm planning more exciting changes that I will announce soon!

Happy Spring! I hope you easily locate a clean restroom wherever your spring wanderings take you so you can get out and enjoy the flowers.