Spring Cleaning! A term I thought I would never use. See, I am not much for reorganizing, clearing out, or throwing away things. I very much resemble the "pack rat" I keep boxes of things I bust open for various uses or at least argue that as a justification. So it is ironic considering how much I abhor spring cleaning, and in essence, change that this year is starting off with it.

Currently, I am moving things around my cozy little room to make room for a roommate. Trying to fit two decent sized futons, two computer setups, at least two tables, clothes and other personal junk in the confines of a 134 in x 126 in room is nothing short of "fun!" This lead me to think, however, that spring cleaning is not needed just for cleaning rooms. It made me reflect on people as well. Maybe it is time that I did some spring cleaning with the roster of people I call friends.

2012 made me realize that not everyone you call friend is an equal friend in that regard. This past year I had the misfortune of cutting off two people who I previously called friends. I realized that these people only were out for themselves and seemed to only justify being friends because of the perks they got rather than what they could bring to the table. While one I called out on Facebook ( I know I am an internet tough guy :p), the other I spoke to face to face about. I told him he needed to grow up and man up for his actions and while I do not bear any ill will to this person, I am deeply saddened that he gave up trying to make amends with the group of friends we belong to. It truly showed me what kind of friend and man that he is.

So while these two individuals were cut from my life, I realized it helped me relax and not nearly worry. These "toxic" did not deserve to be apart of my friend circle until they realized they needed to sustain and be their own person. I sincerely hope that these two individuals grow up and eventually make amends to the people they wrong. If nothing else, it proves how wrong I was about them.

So I stand at a precipice today, in regards to another friend of mine. This person was fun to hang out with and brought out a sense of fun and adventure I had not seen in quite some time. Then it slowly drifted to a point where my friend was drowning in a sea of self-inflicted despair while I made sure to keep them afloat. Now that person seems to be afloat but has forgotten all about me. While I think I was conceited to think that they should spend more time with me, I still feel like I was wronged. It feels like all I did was give myself to ensure happiness, but when happy times came around, that person up and left. This, along with the sage advice of a good friend, got me to thinking maybe it is time to dump some of this extra baggage. "Sometime it is ok to be chased." No truer words have been said that wrung so true. Maybe it truly is fine to stop trying to get this person to by a friend and see if they will chase back. If they do not, then you honestly know they were just using you and your better off leaving those people to leech off others kindness.

In short, spring cleaning to me this year is not just about managing the items in your possession. it is also evaluating the people in your life. Who are the people that truly matter to you and who are the people who just happen to be hangers on and use you for their convenience. It is time to clean up this roster and move forward into this brand new year.