Spring is one of my favorite times of year as it is for many. Yes, because of more sunlight, warmth, greenery, fresh air, fruits, & vegies, new blossoming buds innately bursting back into life, but also because my own life blossoms. Could it be that this time of year is really a time of renewal for nature and humans? Are we connected to the innate rhythms of seasons and cycles ? Does being conscious of this connection and in harmony with them help us to improve the quality of our lives, our families, our communities, our world? Are we already doing so or do we forget and simply follow our routines? Are our daily rhythms impacted by what is going on in our natural world? Does it matter?
Well on a day like today, mid-April when rather than a warm, sunny (or possibly rainy) Spring day we instead have an uncharacteristic snowstorm, it seems a simple proof in the experience of “this contrast” that we are impacted. And, although I am still enjoying my life on this snowy spring Sunday, doing laundry, cleaning, getting caught up, somehow this snowy, slushy 30 degree day somehow doesn’t feel quite right, and it is impacting the rhythm of my day. Instead of going to the grocery store, running errands, getting gas, drinking lemonade, and eating a cool salad, I’m under a blankee on the couch drinking tea, eating soup and writing this blog.
Being honest, my spirit is somewhat dampened, but I’m doing my best to redirect my attention towards that which I’m grateful for so it doesn’t bring me down too far. So, with that said, my blog exploration of “tending the gardens” of life now includes a snowstorm twist.
Starting first with the gardens, a week or so ago, I noticed a parallel with Spring’s arrival, Just as several of my plants were blossoming new buds, so too did I have many new blossoms in the form of clients and/or creative projects that are aligned with my vision- a beautiful affirmation of our parallel connection. And, just as I consistently water and spray these new buds lovingly, watching them grow every day, so too am I taking consistent action to nourish my projects. Thanks to the mirror of my plants, which are growing incrementally each day, I also find peace in knowing that my projects must be doing the same. And, like a tender new garden, which we would not stomp upon, I find that I too am tender in this new ground, and vulnerable to stomping. Similarly, like the buds that are now covered with snow, I am also powerful and will ultimately spring forth through the ground.
A perfect segue to the snowstorms of life, isn’t it common that life includes sunny and inclement weather? So, I guess it makes sense that in tending both our gardens and snowstorms, we must put on the proper attire to adapt to what we find. So, for me in a place of many new beginnings, I thank my plants for their reminder of the miracle of the new and that to thrive, it is important for me to both “water” my new beginnings and myself with tender care. And, in this snow storm, I note again that as nature asks me to be patient, stay inside and add a few more layers, I am also reminded that when inclement weather appears, adaptation makes it easier. (Look at the beauty I found on my window with my camera from underneath my blankee ;-))
So, to you, what are the new blossoms in your own life? Are you tending to them and you with delicate care or do you occasionally get stomped upon? Are you noticing their reach towards the sun? When it snows, are you making the necessary adjustments to flow with this interruption or metaphorically “forgetting to put on your jacket and getting cold?” Are you looking around you in new ways to find something beautiful when the weather gets bad?
Spring as we know it will arrive, and perhaps in it’s contrast to the snowy cold of today will be even more glorious.