The call of the Sandhill Crane is now echoing across the fields. Their return seems a bit earlier than usual. Believe it or not, we're on Spring Break here. Also a few weeks earlier than school typically lets out. Makes me wonder if Spring, in general, will be coming soon!
Patches of lawn are scattered throughout the crusty remains of the snow. In the corner of the yard, we have some glassy ice from last week's temporary thaw. Trapped beneath our small skating rink are air bubbles, blades of grass and flattened corn stocks in the dirt. A reflection of a season past and the beginning of one anew. The sun's rays are getting stronger, the days longer, and warmer weather will soon be on the horizon.
I'm not sure I feel ready for a new season yet. I've always enjoyed the quiet of Winter and this time for rest and reflection. But Seasons change. Gears start to shift. The turnover can feel uneasy, but we get into the swing of things, one way or another.
This change is one of the reasons I love living in Minnesota. I do envy all the posts I'm seeing right now of friends going to warmer places: that white sand and blue water keep calling my name! I do intend to visit one of those places, when the time is right, but I'm not sure I would enjoy living there year-round. Maybe someday I'll change my mind about that.
There is something to be said about knowing that a season will change, even when you don't want it to. Fall is one that I feel is never long enough. October could be three months long and I would be more than ok with it! But change it does.
Life has seasonal changes as well. Right now, I'm in the stage where I have two teenagers and one elementary-age kid living at home. The age difference is significant, as is the maturity and understanding between them. Yes, we would do well to be more patient with each other--LOL
One thing I've learned is this: if we practice gratitude, we can find something good to appreciate, no matter how hard it might be. The habit can become a beautiful part of one's day. My daughter and I call it 'Thankful Thoughts'. It has become an important part of her bedtime ritual, and I hope that she continues it when she is too old to be tucked in.
I've spent this Winter going through forgotten toys and other items, making multiple trips to donate them. Some I've sold online, others I've given to friends with younger children. We are decluttering so we can make room for new things in our life. We are preparing for the next season, whatever that may look like. Some of it feels uncharted and unknown. That is the adventure of life, is it not?
It is refreshing to take action and embrace the new. I've enjoyed my kids in all their stages. But I knew that one day, they would grow up. It's fun to watch old videos and see how things once were: how small they were, how little the trees in the yard were, the projects we've completed, how the landscape has changed and taken shape over the years.
The challenge is to be present in the moment without looking back for too long or looking too far ahead. The Seasons are a great guide to help us remember that change will come when it is time. Some last longer than others, and some seem too short. Like the weather, we cannot control it.
Let us enjoy the beauty and meaning in each one. May those moments become a collection of memories that tell a great story: our lives, lived with intention and purpose...and of those we have loved along the way.
Cheers,
LP
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