Monday Mindset
Welcome the Shifts
Hello!
As we ease into the second week of April, I hope that you are allowing yourself to enjoy the slow emergence of spring. Her invitations to us are many, and that is precisely what I want to share more of with you today.
This week’s focus is on Welcoming the Shifts that springtime offers.
So, settle in for a few minutes with me as we drop in to explore what that looks like.
“Spring won’t let me stay in this house any longer! I must get out and breathe the air deeply again.”
— Gustav Mahler
Spring is a time of renewal in the world around us, and we can harness that same energy and bring it to our inner worlds. This is a time for envisioning what is possible and for embracing the desire to engage with the world again.
What once was a cozy and comforting atmosphere can feel stifling as the weather shifts. As the days warm and lengthen, we open the windows of our homes to let the fresh spring air blow through and refresh the stale rooms. We don’t have to recirculate the same air anymore—we can freshen our homes, as well as our souls, in the process.
With windows open, we welcome the shifts of the season. We can hear birds sing and children laugh. We might notice smells of flowering trees or a damp lawn after a spring rain. Or, if you are in a more densely populated city, you might notice more people lingering on the sidewalks, catching up with people they rushed past in the cold winter. Though winter is a time for hunkering down, spring invites us to engage with the natural world again. It invites us to see what’s possible as fresh perspective clears out stagnant thoughts and behaviors. It is a time for airing out our homes, both literally and figuratively.
Our hearts often mirror the seasons. What felt cold, barren, or minimal in the bleak midwinter may be shifting into pockets of hope as we reengage with the living—with what is emerging in the world around us. As we air out our homes, let’s also allow the fresh inspiration of spring to shift our perspectives. There is an invitation to engage with the slow blooming that happens consistently in this season. Every day, the buds of leaves grow a little more. Every week affords new blooms that make their presence known through the perfume of their petals and the bright shocks of color.
We don’t have to force anything in this season. As we open our hearts to receive what is already at work in the shift of the seasons, we allow the promise of new life to bloom in us. Let’s celebrate the thrill of what is possible by turning our attention to the presence of growth as it emerges around us.
If you’re finding it difficult to find any hope in the chaos that seems ever-present these days, look closer. Get microscopic, even. The buds are forming on the bare branches. New life is sprouting from the dirt. Once it begins, it will continue to unfold each day in ever-increasing growth. As we train our eyes to see what’s around us, we can ground ourselves in the promise of new life as it blooms within our reach.
Yes, the world can feel heavy (and it is in many ways). Without diminishing the hardships, can we also allow ourselves to awaken to the pockets of beauty right within our reach? There is so much pain, and there is also love. There is suffering, and there is beauty.
Right now, I’m working with the sun on my face, shifting lower in the sky with each minute that passes. It warms my skin, and I feel the pleasure of it. Does that mean it’s all that matters? No. But for this very moment I’m writing, can it matter greatly? Can it be the little delight I grab hold of? Yes.
As you open the windows and doors of your heart to the shifts of this season, notice what comes up. What sounds do you hear? What smells pull at your attention? What is within reach that holds enough possibility for hope?
My encouragement to us all is to embrace the shift in energy that springtime offers and to awaken to the call to reemerge, even if slowly. Nature does not rush, and we don’t have to, either. We can allow our hearts to unfurl in their own time, softening a little each day as we engage with the possibilities of this season.
What shifts do you already feel happening in this season?
Set an intention to notice small shifts each day. Not only pay attention to what is happening in the natural world, but also pay attention to the shifts in your own thoughts and heart. Is there a desire to do new things? Honor what you see growing in you by giving it space to bloom.
Sending so much love to you right in this very moment. May you feel held by the reminder that you matter, my friend. Your presence is a gift.
~Sara
Weirdly, just a few days ago, I was thinking about this exact thing. How I felt like the last 5 months have been me hibernating in a cocoon, hunkering down. And then when it got warmer outside there was this instant shift or pop in my brain. It was like my body and heart were just waiting for winter to be over to start living again. I’ve always loved spring and the new beginnings it brings. But this year it feels significant in my soul. It’s like I can breathe again. Love you!