Spring Re-Awakening: The Wisdom of Nature… and Those Who Have Been Here Before

We’ve all heard the aphorism “April showers bring May flowers.” It’s a reference to the natural rhythm of Spring. And while the months in question may vary depending on location, in order for us to enjoy the excitement and beauty of the vernal awakening, we have to deal with some rain.

Everything seems different right now, but nature remains the same. The timeless seasonal cycles that we all take for granted – retreat, reanimate, re-emerge and, ultimately, celebrate – are happening, in spite of the fact that so much else has changed. Spring is arriving.

It’s a great reminder: What can seem like downtime and drudgery can be just the prelude to a big polychromatic payoff. We experience rain, but it sure helps to know the flowers will follow.

We can wallow or we can make the best of a situation. And one of these is certainly more enjoyable than the other. It reminds me of a great quote from Joseph Campbell: “The psychotic drowns in the same waters in which the mystic swims with delight.”

While I wouldn’t call anybody psychotic today if they were feeling overwhelmed, we do have other options. If we let it, our current crisis can be a call to action… though which action, of course, depends on individual circumstances. Maybe it’s refocusing on exercise or trying out meditation. Perhaps you’d like to learn a new instrument or start that novel you’ve wanted to write.

Point being: This can be a wonderful time for rebirth if you allow it to be.

What form will your rebirth take? Only you can decide. But I have a place you can start:

Seek out the wisdom of the past and present.

Block off some time to find great quotes, poems, or insights online – BrainyQuote.com or GoodReads.com are both good places to start, but there are so many out there. Browse for some wisdom that speaks to you — listen to your heart and see which quotes make it stir. Then write them down and ask yourself why they do.

This experience can be both motivational and enlightening. It can also change our mindset from one of alarm and anxiety to one of positivity, hope and love — like one of my favorite quotes from Albert Einstein so regularly does for me: “There are two ways to live,” he said. “You can live as if nothing is a miracle, or you can live as if everything is a miracle.”

I choose option 2. I don’t always succeed, but I’m always better off for trying.

And right now, I’m finding that — as the April rain subsides and Spring begins to truly shine – nature is reminding me that miracles abound.