Spring, from a perspective of change.

Every season we have things to let go of, wounds that want to heal, and new habits to start, but we also grow and develop like the flowers we see all around.

But what makes spring so attractive?

Warmer weather, and longer days shinning with sunlight? A field of flowers blooming? Allergies causing us to play the runny nose game?

Do we like it because love is in the air? I’ve never really understood what this quote means. Does it refer to animals mating in the spring, or the fact that because the weather is better we’re in better moods, ergo more sex? Who knows? (Cue shoulder shrug.)

Spring is a synonym for the hope of new things. It is like the fresh air whispering to us: “Nothing ever stays the same. Change is here—renew yourself.”

My favorite part of spring is seeing it sneaking out, on the sidewalk, through five or maybe six cherry trees all blooming with light pink, tiny flower buds, eager to open themselves to this world before they have to say goodbye.

Last fall, I started planting some serious seeds inside my mind.

But before this could happen, I needed fertile soil to allow life to grow. It was time to put to good use all the compostable chatter in my brain, and use those thoughts as fertilizer for my mental seeds to germinate.

Doing so helped me see that all these new habits and changes could grow on top of the ones that have not served me or simply didn’t work. They weren’t mistakes; they were the soil I needed. They helped me picture a “me” I could agree with more, a woman who could meditate with no agenda and write her way to a genuine life.

So I continued to press on this keyboard, writing and knowing that it was not my time to harvest yet.

Even though my daily habits look quite the same, I can tell there is a difference about them. There is an ease; we no longer arm wrestle every day. Solitude and silence are starting to feel a bit more acceptable, day by day.

I see that my seeds are starting to germinate.

Here are a few more lessons I’ve learned from spring:

>> Nothing ever stays the same.

>> Change always come, whether intentional or accidental.

>> As much as we need the sun, we need the rain, the clouds, the snow, the air. All are a part of life.

>> We can’t bring change if there is no space for it. Use spring as a time to declutter your life, physically and mentally. 

>> A tree can look dead and dried up for many months, yet blooming season always returns.

>> We don’t have to start all over again every season. We can move forward, improve as we go, recycle our experiences as lessons, and keep moving forward.

>> Life is beautiful. Look around at nature’s gifts; there is so much beauty if we acknowledge what we are surrounded by.

>> Just because we had a bad season does not mean it will always be this way.

>> Life does not wait for a perfect moment. Flowers don’t bloom because it is the perfect time; they follow a cycle.

We can’t just wish for flowers if we are not willing to plow the land and have the patience for seeds to germinate. And so it goes with our lives. There will always be cycles of work, preparation, nurturing, and the willingness to not give up, and then eventually, the flowers will begin to appear.

I want to share with you these two beautiful quotes about spring—one from Pablo Neruda and one from my humble heart to yours.

“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.” ~ Pablo Neruda

and

“Spring is a season for kisses, for habits to continue as the sun regularly shines, for love to overflow inside that soft red flower we call our heart.” ~ Michelle Gutierrez

What do you love about spring? I would love to read your thoughts.

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