Spring Is Here: The Season of Fresh Beginningsby Debbie Mandel
There’s a bright new energy in the air: Nature’s New Year. The angle of the light is different; our daily rhythm is reset and we are moving to a powerful new beat. We have been cocooning during the winter, taking stock of ourselves and generally trying to keep our spirits up during colder, shorter days. It’s easier now that spring has arrived: Time for us to transform ourselves into butterflies. How do you become a butterfly? You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.
Start with the ritual of spring cleaning. Clean out the clutter; dust the cobwebs; open the windows and rejuvenate your living space. We all know that when our balance is off, we become sick and cannot thrive. Think of your home as a barometer of balance, reflecting the state of your mind and heart. Is your living space inviting to visitors and filled with good energy, or is it a place where you feel stuck with stale energy?
Sometimes we visit a home or a cafe and fall in love with the place immediately. The furniture, lighting and colors invite stimulating conversation and open discussion. Similarly, your living space reflects who you are and what’s important to you. Dark living spaces evoke feelings of sadness and isolation. A home needs to be dressed for success – emotional success.
Let us learn to take heart from the garden. During spring gardeners survey the winter damage, the losses in plant life, the bare spots and the overgrown perennials. They cut back, rake, plant and fertilize. Each season is a new, hopeful beginning. A plant has no consciousness of the past, but emerges as a fresh new life, growing towards the light -- a new chance to flourish. So should we….
My mother, a holocaust survivor, arrived in New York with my father and an infant. She learned a new language of freedom and optimism. While the three of us lived in poverty, we were not impoverished; we were rich in love and laughter. Although our kitchen window revealed a dismal view, every spring my mother transformed that view with living beauty. She took a few seed packets, ignored the planting instructions, and spread tiny seeds in shallow glass bowls and tea cups filled with soil. Soon our protruding window sill was alive with extraordinary color and texture: Salvias, Zinnias, Marigolds and Morning Glories. For many Springs a little girl watched my mother cast those magic seeds. My legacy sprouted on that window sill.
No matter how we have suffered, our hearts long to be free. We are able to move forward like a spring flower, if we release the past. So brush aside the cobwebs, clean out those minds closed in resentment to wake up tomorrow morning feeling fresh and vibrant -- anything is possible. See the world with different eyes – see the beauty emerging right before your eyes and express your gratitude.
- Clear out the anger in your heart. Admit that you, not the object of your anger, are responsible for your anger.
- Release your demands that others behave according to your standards.
- Become aware of what you are attracted to – we all have an instinct to be attracted to what we need in life.
- Plant seeds in your life. Be patient and watch them grow.
- Bloom where you are planted.
Debbie Mandel, MA is the author of Turn On Your Inner Light: Fitness for Body, Mind and Soul, a stress-reduction specialist, motivational speaker, a personal trainer and mind/body lecturer. She is the host of the weekly Turn On Your Inner Light Show on WGBB AM1240 in New York City , produces a weekly wellness newsletter, and has been featured on radio/ TV and print media. To learn more visit: www.turnonyourinnerlight.com
