This morning at 12:48 spring finally arrived. 

I am so relieved to see the increase in light and the rise in temperatures.  My spirit has risen also. 

Winter continues to press down on my soul, but I refuse to give in to this seasonal condition. For those of you who live with snow and sub zero temperature, I know that you will relate to my “cabin fever”. On this Sunday morning, I tore out the advertisement for the Home & Patio Show which had a picture of tulips. Today I will make plans to visit “spring”. It might turn into a trip to the Show or maybe a lunch at Bachman’s. My need to see colorful living plants is strong and hopefully will not be denied. So for me today, an early escape from the season of winter into spring will be enough to revitalize my soul.

I received this poem from a colleague of mine - Phil Okrend - who is a life coach in North Carolina. 

The Law of Cycles - Dancing to Nature’s Song

The world of nature moves

In rhythm, patterns and cycles

The passing of the seasons,

The movement of the stars,

The ebb and flow of the tides.

The seasons do not push one another;

Neither do clouds race the wind across the sky.

All things happen in

Their own good time

Rising and falling and rising

Like ocean waves,

In the circle of time.

From The Laws of Spirit by Dan Millman

Excerpt from “Seasons of Change”….

The new life of spring eventually evolves into the steady, strong growth of summer.  The baby animals that were born in the spring begin to mature through the summer.  The budding flowers are now in full bloom and once tender shoots have turned to strong stalks.

This can be an exhilarating time of “what ifs?” and “why nots?”  Some of the indicators that you’re in the season of growth may include excitement, increased clarity, confidence, you feel grounded in your life and self, you have a renewed sense of direction and are ready to move forward.

It’s a time to come into full bloom.

Excerpt from “Seasons of Change”….

After the long, dark winter, we wait anxiously for signs of spring.  We long for warm days, sunshine and color to return and revive the landscape.  As the cold days depart, bare trees begin to bud, tulips push their way out of the ground and birdsong returns to the mornings.  Spring is about new life - and so is this season of discovery in your life.

Spring is about stepping out of the den of hibernation.  It’s a time of ideas,exploration and discovery.  Some of the indicators that your are in “spring” may include hopefulness, increased energy, relief, a deeper sense of yourself and a desire to start trying new things with the courage to explore.

In the life of the buds that burst in spring, change is not an analytical thought process.  It is a response.  In an ancient rhythm of life, the season calls to them and they respond. 

Excerpt from “Seasons of Change”….

While Autumn was a time of loss and letting go, winter is a time for quiet and reflection….. Winter beckons us to hunker down like a bear in a den and channel our reserves within instead of spending them in a blur of busyness, getting things done or being active.  Winter calls us to relish the inner comforts of home; to sit by a fire, read a good book or just relax and listen to music.

This can be a very challenging season, as you may feel restless, frustrated and impatient for answers or direction.  Other indicators you are in winter may include low energy, increased anxiety and ambiguity, withdrawal, a desire to go back to the way things were or to rush forward.  You may feel pressure from others - or from within - to just get on with it. 

We encourage you not to rush this season.  Sit with your restlessness and listen to what it has to tell you.  Be quiet and allow your deepest longings to speak.

Excerpt from “Seasons of Change”…..

Regardless of how it comes upon us, the journey of change begins with some kind of loss.  (In Autumn) trees lose their leaves, flowers give up their blooms and cast their seeds to the gound and the landscape loses its vibrancy of color.  In farm fields, combines lumber across the land, gathering up the crops and leaving a clean swath of land in their wake.  The landscape is laid bare, stripped to its very bones………..

The process of change leaves us vulnerable too, stripping is of what we knew to embrace a limbo of uncertainty.  Indicators that you are in the season of loss might include restlessness, disquiet, mental and/or physical fatigue, disenchantment, confusion, anger or a feeling of disengagement. 

It is a season of deterioration but also one of harvest from which come seeds for next summer’s growth.  So to will change come to you in the cycle of change.

When Carol and I developed our journal, “Seasons of Change:  A Journey of Self-Discovery” we used a seasonal metphor to provide the framework for the process of change.  Autumn is the Season of Loss - Winter is the Season of Quiet - Spring is the Season of Discovery and Summer is the Season of Growth.

What I am going to do is to begin using is a symbol in the upper left hand corner of the season the blog entry is about.  This will help you navigate through the entries to find specific ones that may speak to where you are in your own journey. 

If the entry is about change in general, there won’t be any symbol - but it will still be interesting. 

One of the challenges in transitions is when you find yourself smack dab in the middle of the transition - when the past no longer works and the future is not yet decided.  It can be a time of hopelessness.  A good friend sent me this link to Chris Heeter, a woman in Minnesota who leads wilderness trips.  I heard her speak a couple of years ago and was so impressed with her message.  Here is a poem she wrote about winter…..

It’s called the “dead of winter,”

single digit temperatures above or below zero, projected to last at least three weeks.But signs of spring abound. The cardinal and black capped chickadees have changed their winter tunes to spring songs. Black bear babies are arriving,all of 12 ounces at birth. And as we make our way around the sun,we’ve already gained 45 minutes of daylight since Solstice night. So even as we bundle and layer for the cold, the birds and the bears and even the sun remind us that spring is waiting just beyond winter’s long shadows. – Chris Heeter, Wilderness Guide, Author, Speakerwww.thewildinstitute.com

I have talked with four friends over the last few days.  These people have many traits in common.  They are funny, smart, thoughtful, and interesting people.  They also all believe they are boring. 

They don’t think like this the rest of the year.  Only now in January, in the middle of winter, have they decided they are boring.  I also am in the process of struggling with writing this blog because I have also caught the boring bug.  What do I possibly have to say that might be of interest to someone else?

I think it is the fault of winter - all that darkness, cold, snow and ice.  Come spring we will all find that once again we are funny, smart, thoughtful and interesting people!