March is an in between time.
Everywhere you look nature is contradicting itself – sunny but brisk, flowers budding through snow, an early morning chorus of birdsong accompanied by the howling of the wind.
Springtime in general is full of ambivalence. Some days are so warm and sunny that I be break out the blanket, lie in the grass and soak it all in. Then, in the blink of an eye, the clouds are rolling in and the winds are kicking up so wildly I hardly know what hit me.
Although I embrace every season and Spring is delightful in so many ways – it’s not my favorite. There’s too much indecisiveness – I don’t need that in my life. I cultivate plenty of indecisiveness myself, thank you very much.
What I desire is all or nothing.
Give me snow OR give me a warm Summer’s day.
Am I getting my ass in gear OR am I still in rest + reflect mode?
It can really mess with your mind and your entire constitution for that matter.
At first glance, nature is going through this seemingly radical change (Hellllooo me too!) – but in reality, most days it happens so slowly, it is hard to call it change at all. It is really an incremental awakening that comes, not by force or push or even planning, but by its own natural softening.
As always it seems I should be learning from mama earth. You would think I would know this by now.
Below are a few ways to be more like nature this Spring.
Observe
Following the flow of the natural world begins with becoming an observer. What is happening around you? There’s some melting , dissolving, and softening of hard surfaces, which in turn is leading to a shift, a revealing, a re-birth, a slow unearthing of things that are ready to bloom.
It’s OK to Change
The natural world around us transforms constantly to adjust to its surroundings. Yes, this is an affirmation that it is truly OK to contain multitudes. It’s OK to be a different you than you were last month, last week, 15 minutes ago. You are adjusting to your ever changing environment.
Learn to Be Multifaceted
Like I said, Spring is indecisive…maybe a better descriptive word is multifaceted. And maybe I am too and possibly so are you! We are a unique constellation of attributes.
So most definitely:
Read Books + twerk.
Be spiritual + a let your freak flag fly.
Enjoy the outdoors + Netflix.
Wear work boots + red lipstick.
Get moving + find stillness.
Be Still (Even if it gets windy)
As spring approaches, let the roar of the march winds sweep away the emotional heaviness of winter and focus on actually using the self-reflection that we curated throughout the Winter season. This introspection tends to sprout into self-growth in the Springtime. I’ve learned that this leap requires some stillness and silence. It requires getting quiet so that we can hear that small voice within. We have to still ourselves so that we can find that voice of ours that resides below the confusion and beneath the noise.
The arrival of Springtime within nature teaches us a story that’s as old as time, of how to approach transformation within ourselves. This natural awakening takes the patience to observe, embracing of the subtle shift that comes with change, melting the immobility of judgement of ourselves, and truly embrace the magic and beauty that is your own authentic self. (True colors if you will.)
Knowing that my own body, like the soil of this earth, knows the way to bloom.
Softly, slowly, patiently.
Melting, shifting, embracing.
