Welcome to Spring!!
After a challenging winter that culminated with my
Mom's passing in mid-February and the grief process
that has followed with its twists and turns, I am so
pleased and ready to embrace a new season.
As I write this
March issue of The Trailhead, I am alone outdoors in
my beloved Jersey Pine Barrens, sitting on top of an
old abandoned beaver dam on the banks of Goshen
Pond, not far from my home.
I have taken
a solitary hiking retreat for myself to celebrate
the Spring Equinox. New growth abounds and the
evidence is clear at every turn of my head. The
low-lying heath shrubs by my feet are covered with
green-ish red buds and a mallard duck couple is
playfully flirting with each other out on the pond.
The water level is high, as the Spring thaw is in
full force on this unusually warm day. There are
little cascading waterfalls all around me and that
music; along with the chorus of the Spring peepers
is the most wonderfully positive sound I could
imagine right now.
I am experiencing my
own new growth as I notice increased physical energy
plus a spurt of fresh new ideas that I am excited to
put into play in both my personal and professional
life.
I see this
pleasurable energy in others, as well...not only
with various friends and family members but also in
strangers I encounter when out and about. People are
seemingly walking with a lighter step and are
smiling and greeting one another with a more
exuberant tone than I had noticed in the depths of
winter. It's
a very hopeful feeling.
I do love
this time of year!
What about YOU? What
are you noticing as a new season has arrived?
Perhaps
you're enjoying the new growth of your local outdoor
environment. Maybe
you're noticing something deeper and more internal
as well. That
could mean simply acknowledging yourself for a
moment of personal clarity recently when you stood
your ground and said no when others wanted you to
say yes. Perhaps you're feeling a renewed stirring
of excitement as you put focus on a playful or
creative activity that you may have put on the
back-burner during the winter.
I find that when
Spring arrives, I like to make simple preparations
for further new growth that may come my way. Are you
similar in that way? Here are some possibilities:
·
Spring Cleaning: Not only of
your living environment but also other areas. Maybe
your computer is filled to the brim with old emails,
files, links, or contacts you no longer need. It
could simply be that you are ready to clear out some
old ideas or goals that no longer excite you.
·
Letting Go and Recycling:
Getting rid of recent magazines by giving them to
your local hair salon, fitness club, or doctor's
office. Perhaps
lightening your load of books by making a gift of
them to a library or elder care facility.
·
Donations: Giving away gently
used clothing you no longer need or want; also
include furniture or appliances. Your unwanted items
could possibly enhance someone else's life.
·
Get away:
Go on a day
long or afternoon outdoor retreat in your favorite
environment; either
alone or with a playful friend or family member
