Paying Attention to the Season
I have seen a huge difference in my energy the past month, and even more so, this past week. Warm weather, sunny days, daily exercise, and green smoothies are giving me life. Even though I get sleepy in the afternoons, and sometimes take a nap, I feel energized in my mornings, and that feels good! In the winter I feel like a hibernating bear, walking through my days slowly, eating warming foods, getting the basics done. In Spring, new life seems to emerge within me. I feel more ready to greet the day, motivated to clean, declutter, and purge, and my task completion goes way up.
It’s interesting to note how the seasons affect us and being okay with that. We are not robots who mechanically move throughout the year at the same pace, energy, and motivation. Seasons are a gift from God, each used for a different purpose, and something that I wish our culture honored. In Spring, I don’t make myself get more energy; it’s a gift that is simply given to me. I don’t generate more motivation or wake up telling myself that I had better get moving. That desire awakens intrinsically, just like the buds on the trees do.
Like I have written before, it is always good to recognize the season you are currently in. In winter, we are more reflective, going inward, restoring. The yard is quiet, the trees are barren. House projects lie dormant. As we wake up in Spring, our energy moves outward. We have new ideas bubbling up inside of us. We feel the desire to put away the heavier winter clothes and decor to lighten our wardrobes and homes. We may have the desire to plant flowers, put pastel tablecloths on our tables, and eat lighter menus. One season is not better than the other; each one serves a purpose in us. There are certain seasons that may reflect our innate personality more than other ones do. You may feel most at home with yourself during a particular time of year. Your home style may reflect certain seasons better than other ones (my knotty pine den doesn’t shine in the Spring…it’s a fall/winter cozy cave!) Regardless, each season is a gift to us and there is beauty and joy to be found in all. I think we are at our healthiest when we allow ourselves to ebb and flow with the seasons.
I am spending more time on my back porch. Even now I hear the ducks quacking in the pond, playful and energetic. My sons are taking long bike rides on local neighborhood trails. All of the sheets are being washed today, fresh beds as we enter the weekend. I am picking out new recipes to add to Plan to Eat, ready for some variety. We had this delicious grilled chicken this past week, and I think that’ll be a go-to for the next several months. I am beginning to feel the itch to reorganize our disastrous office and return it to a lovely work and craft space. Little by little the house will be decluttered from all the gatherings of winter, and more and more we will live outdoors instead of inside. Movie nights, campouts, all meals al fresco, long walks, golf cart rides. Our rhythm is changing, right when it needed to. Fewer screens and more sun!
May Spring birth a new expansion in your heart, your energy, your creativity. May the warmth of the sun renew you. May the Son awaken new insights and wisdom. May this be a season where you sense rebirth.
You are loved,
Aimee