It’s Spring! After many months of what seemed like a cold, long and eternal darkness, this season has come back again offering us new opportunities. Since it’s still Winter during the celebration of New Year, personally the first few months of a year can feel like a remainder of the last. As someone who was born in the middle of the Summer, Spring has always felt more the start of a new year for me. Approaching this new time with eyes wide open and a will to entertain new perspectives, this newsletter is an invitation to ask ourselves what type of change we are looking for with the gift of a new season.
A need for change doesn’t always present itself to us with clarity, which is why it is a good idea to asses ourselves in order to see what change, if any, is needed. My dear friend, Victoria, who writes about change and healing so effortlessly (almost seeming like she’s always held the keys of life) has been a big inspiration for me through the changing seasons. We are all on our own separate journey and when paths are crossed it is both interesting and fulfilling to observe someone else’s perspective; it pushes you out of your own and into a feel for a new view. In her personal page, she writes:
“ I urge us to ask ourselves questions about what pushes us forwards – our values, our joys, our faith, our discipline, our inner authority, and the way our minds process and comprehend it all. It does us well to tend to ourselves daily.”
“How will you move onward? Do you see the blossoms of the past three months beginning to bloom? As every gardener knows, not every seed will sprout. But it is well within your control to care – to nourish your seeds (and yourself), tend to them daily, and show compassion through every step of growth. But with just as much discipline, trim the dying leaves and rip the roots that rot. From a seed, we too have sprouted. To join the forest, we must do the work of keeping ourselves alive, healthy, blossoming, breathing. We do our part not only for us, but for the world around us.”
As humans, we tend to want things here and now, we want to be fully formed even if we haven’t necessarily done the work to achieve our desired form. Winter can be tricky and invite us to hide away — hibernating in the warmth of conformity. IF we sway too much in that direction, we could end up frustrated and discouraged when Spring comes around. We are all familiar with the Winter blues, the of sadness and the personal safety of isolation.
“How do we look outside, without fear of letting out the warmth you cultivated for so long with the doors shut?”
After six months of a drying season, Spring comes as a blooming rebirth. When seeds haven’t been consciously cultivated during winter, we begin to question if any were planted at all. But —there’s still time. If no work has been done, Spring comes with a brand new three-month opportunity of planting seeds, and a promise that if we tend to them we will watch our efforts growing into Summer. Releasing the unknown energy and stiffness of this Winter will enable us to go with the flow within the warmth of this new season.
Something about Spring has also always been people confessing their feelings season. Within this confession, there is something healing about confessing them to ourselves. Mindfully searching for clarity, there’s a moment when you start seeing it within yourself. It takes self-love to express emotions with courage and learn to move within them, not against them. By surrendering the attachment of how it’s going to work, we will be able to see beyond the now and into our future blooming selves.
Change comes from within — and while starting to change is challenging, the true treasure lies in the process of up-keeping and tending to ourselves daily. Spring is the perfect time to build that internal confidence in order to expand in all areas of our lives with a big and bold vision. There’s no reason why we should deny ourselves some wild confidence! This isn’t about faking it until you make it, but staying true until you’re through. Ultimately, the goal is to win, not look like you’re winning.