EMBRACING THE THAW: A BIRTHDAY REFLECTION ON NAVIGATING THE SEASONS OF LIFE

I love having a Spring birthday and especially sharing the day with my twin sister (Happy Birthday to us, Tami!). I see March as an opportunity for all of us to refresh and renew.  March signals the shift from Winter, a season of quiet and stillness, to the promise of vitality and new growth brought by Spring. 

 

As I reflect on what it means to celebrate another year around the sun, I find myself thinking a lot about the metaphor of seasons.  In many ways, our lives mirror the ever-changing cycle of seasons.  The promise of their arrival and departure, the paradox of sturdiness and impermanence in which they exist.  In the metaphor of life's seasons, winter can symbolize a period of struggle and adversity.  Just as winter brings cold, darkness, and challenge, we encounter times in our lives when we face uncertainty and difficulties.  This year, I sense a change of season in my own life, the deep release and relief from what has felt like a long and laborious Winter over the past couple of years.

 

I recognize something so beautiful about the coldness of Winter.  Embodying a blend of strength and fragility, Winter has a powerful way of being.  The quiet of her stillness, the way she holds what is true in place, despite its pain and imperfection.  The way she right sizes the trivial in life, making clear what really matters most.  But here’s the thing about Winter, when she decides to leave and begins to thaw, she doesn’t do it quietly.  Revealing weak and broken branches, unearthing deep roots, addressing the debris and destruction in need of repair, she can have profound impact on uprooting life as we've known it.  Often, it’s in the thawing that we better understand the invitation of our deepest work ahead.  For me, this past year has been a year of thawing. 

 

It’s in the deep end of Winter where we encounter the thaw, when we begin to discover wisdom, inner strength, and the power of resilience.  The reminder that even in the darkest of moments there are brighter days ahead.  As I navigate the thaw, I continue to better understand my invitation for growth.  The relearning around my relationship with control, the agency and power I have in my response to circumstances out of my control (especially when it involves the people I love and desire to protect the most).  Over the past year, I’ve taken a deep dive into understanding the wisdom of our nervous system and how to better manage my state of being amid trauma and challenge.  The significance and power of self-regulation extend beyond its impact on our experience; they greatly shape our presence and influence.  Learning how to self-regulate effectively is a valuable tool in developing greater self-mastery.  Like many skills, it requires lifelong commitment and practice.  I look forward to sharing more of what I’ve learned with you in the future so you can benefit from the tools too!

 

Each season brings its own way of being, wrapping us within its influence, shaping both our inner and outer worlds so profoundly that it’s often only upon emerging from it that we truly comprehend and deeply appreciate the lessons it sought to teach. Regardless of the season you find yourself, trust in its purpose, don’t rush through the parts that hold the greatest potential to change you.  As always, stay open, brave, and on-purpose.