I’m sitting at my desk watching the rain come down outside my window. My cats are sprawled on their “desk bed” enjoying the antics of wet squirrels. It’s well into springtime, which inspires thoughts of the inevitability of change and the renewal that follows it.
One of the things I miss about living where there are well-defined seasons is the ease with which I can remain aware of the cycle of life. Summer rolls up on us with long, gloriously warm, sunny days. It’s a time of year rife with adventure and possibility. Autumn heralds the approaching end of another year with a riot of color. The smell of decaying leaves, and the crisp, cold snap in the evening air, are poignant reminders that winter is coming. In the cold depths of winter, the frosty air encourages us to mimic the hibernation of life by snuggling down and getting cozy with loved ones. Thus, when spring arrives in the form of crocuses pushing up through the last, thin layer of snow, and trees are aglow with young golden buds as depicted in Robert Frost’s poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay”, we can readily observe the renewal of the earth.
Living here in sunny California has presented challenges in hanging onto that awareness. With seemingly endless days of sunshine and temperatures that vary from hot to hotter, it might appear to be an impossible task to consciously stop and appreciate the cycle of life.
It may be difficult, but nothing worth having ever comes easily and we can, with effort, drop into gratitude for the reminder of spring’s renewal. It’s a sacred contract we are blessed to enact yearly with Mother Earth.
Nothing ever stays the same, including the seasons, leading me to the thought that if we don’t embrace change, life simply steamrolls right over us and keeps going. We can choose to embrace the concept (and action) of renewal. There is always an opportunity to renew anything. If it seems impossible then step away to widen your perception. Coming at an idea from a new angle will expand your horizons to include what else is possible. It may not take the form you think.
If the only constant is change and we accept this, then we can begin to get comfortable with it. Start your renewal in small increments. Choose something easily achievable and do it. Renew your commitment to your health by stretching for two minutes. Set a timer and when it rings, well done! You can increase time later on once you’ve established a new habit or routine. Renew your commitment to being more loving by showing it in a small, meaningful way. Life isn’t about grandiose gestures… Its beauty is in the small, ordinary moments. A sweet hug for a friend that you haven’t seen in a while, a smile and compliment to the person passing you in the grocery store, a small note of determination to someone you want to reach out to, a moment of bliss as you play with your dog or pet your cat. A letter, a postcard, a note, a text… write it and send it.
So many little ways to renew yourself. So many ways to connect with the season outside your window. Get out there… walk in the rain like I did. Call someone you love and connect. Reach out across the ether and send loving kindness. Renew your vow to stay present. Be gentle with yourself when you make mistakes yet learn from them too. Commit to your own internal renewal.
We have this one life and the secret to life is that it ends, just like Mother Nature shows us with the passing of the seasons. It’s springtime beautiful people! Go get your blessings on!
Just for fun, here is Robert Frost’s poem written in 1923… 100 years ago.
Nothing Gold Can Stay
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
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This post was previously published on Grace Getzen – Connection Creatrix.
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