Here it is almost the end of February and I have not posted on my blog in weeks. January was a busy month at my office and February started off the same. Now that I have an hour or two to write, I have no ideas on what to write about. Do you ever have that problem? I think my brain is just on hold for spring.
Spring brings renewal to the earth and I hope to us as well. We close ourselves off in the winter, maybe not being as social, staying in due to bad weather. As the days get longer and our hopes begin to grow like a seedling, we hopefully begin to renew our spirit. That can be a good thing or can sometimes cause some pain. As we awaken from our winter hibernation, much like a bear, we often come out feeling grumpy or unready for the world. What we do with those feelings is what defines us.
A card I received for my birthday in January was uplifting for me. The outside cover was a picture of a shoot growing out of a pile of soil. The beginning of the verse read “Your life is a GIFT to you, but also to those who know you. It inspired me so much that I kept it in my office so that I could be renewed daily as I looked at it. I would like to explain what I think it means.
My life is a gift to me. Whether you believe in a higher power or not, your life is a gift. What you do with that gift is up to you. You can nurture that gift or sell it at your spring yard sale. You can care for yourself in a way that makes you strong, loving, giving and whole or you can spend all of that precious life being angry, resentful and not responsible. When you nurture you grow. When you do not nurture you wilt and eventually die, if not true death, then the death of your soul.
In my career choice I have had the opportunity to see others at their worst. That worst is sometimes self inflected, sometimes inflected upon them. But we all have choices of what we do with what we have been given. Some of us end up angry, bitter and miserable. Some of us use what we are given to become stronger, happier and enjoy life to its fullest.
Which person are you? The one who says “lemons! I think I will make lemonade” or the one who says “I was given this lemon, I am angry about this lemon and I will just hold it until it rots”..The second part of the line I quoted above is “but also to those who know you”.Do you bring joy to those around you ordo your negative thoughts, feelings and actions bringing others down too? As you read on, the second line in the verse says “You lighten cares, share laughter and are a blessing to so many”. I would like to think that is true of me. I hope that in my work and in my private life I lighten cares. I love to laugh and share that laughter with others. I hope that I am and continue to be a blessing to others. I hope that I set an example by my own actions. Perfect? Not by a long shot. I make mistakes, I get angry. I have moments or days when I could bite someones head off. I have learned that I and only I, am in charge of what I do with those feelings and I work hard on letting go of those negative feelings. Do you? Can you take responsibility for your anger and resentfulness? Can you be that seedling that reaches for the sunshine and grows strong and healthy or do you hide from that sunshine and wither and die?
As I look out of my office window I see birds feeding at my feeders, grass turning green and my daffodils blooming. I see signs of spring, growth, renewal. I hope you see the same.