The Welcoming of Spring
Oh happy day! Spring has arrived! Here it is, the season of birth, new beginnings and the theme of "opening up". Wrap your head around that for a moment. Open up to new ideas, new ways of thinking, new hobbies, new habits, new friends, new paths. It's time!
In 'The Five Seasons', Joseph Cardillo reminds us that, " Spring energy is torqued up to give (you) the power to clean up whatever has become messy". It's kind of like shovelling the snow off the deck or getting your car washed after a long wet winter. That always felt so good when I lived in Chicago, ushering out the slushy mess of winter and making space for the clean energy of spring.
In my life, I have created personal messiness. I have said the inappropriate or hurtful thing. I have not always taken care of my self or my life, sometimes neglecting my home or relationships. Mostly I have good, positive energy but at times my thoughts, ideas and actions can seem to resemble more of a whirling dirvish than a choreographed dance.
So, THIS Spring, 2023, I am tapping into nature's fertile energy and forging a new path.
To give you background, one and a half years ago I lost my oldest daughter after an unexpected 39 days of illness. I had just become a grandmother for the first time. I left my Pediatric nursing career of 22 years back in Chicago and drove to AZ from Chicago with one of my best friends. I was running toward my youngest daughter, desperate to heal myself and begin a new life. This last year and a half here has not always been smooth sailing but we will talk about that on another day.
I picked up a job in Adult medicine and made a home for myself. Although my efforts to become grounded were intentional, I couldn't deny the daily inner voice telling me to get onto doing the things that I have always felt passionate about.
Daily I heard this voice, " You are meant to do other things. Get on with it. It's time."
I knew that it was time to let go of the old ways and to commit to creating a career that was aligned with my true spirit. Upon leaving my job, and nursing, I felt no remorse or regret. I felt free to create the life that I've always imagined.
And so, here we are, at the precipice of my new life. I worry a little, second guess from time to time, but mostly I feel inspired and encouraged by the universe to just keep going.
Patanjali, a Hindu author, mystic and philosopher wrote in the first Sutra that "now we begin". For many years, in our American culture, we had been trained to stick with the old and resist change. We live in a different time now and it has become acceptable and more than that, admirable, to begin again. We can always have a "redo": pick ourselves up and do something different or in a different way. It's never too late.
So, come with me on this journey of self-discovery and blossoming. What can you open yourself up to? Think about what you want to change or grow. Plant a seed in the garden of your mind. Let's see what we can create.
