One of my clients confessed recently, that despite the improving weather and the beauty of spring, she often feels a little overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done. Sometimes, for her, spring means more work and less energy. I understood what she was saying. We feel compelled to spring clean the house and to plan spring break activities for the kids. Not to mention allergies that come out of nowhere! Then having to deal with those pesky garden weeds, which seem to return the very next day. Sometimes we get so busy in life that the beauty of it gets overlooked. There’s also the bigger picture; the sad news of our planet’s disharmony and destruction which adds another level of stress.
Have you ever heard Nina Simone’s version of “Feeling Good’? It’s quite a wonderful song with uplifting and hopeful lyrics. With that gorgeous voice, she sings “It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me…and I’m feeling good.” To me it’s a song about the celebration of nature and our connection to it.
It does feel like a brand new day, when suddenly, we see green appearing everywhere. The purple, pink and red azaleas in my garden are beginning to blossom, and it feels like I’m finally waking up from the slumber of winter. A few days ago, I took a quick break, and sat on The Still Point porch to enjoy the sunshine. Noticing that the fig tree in the front garden was beginning to sprout tiny leaves, I remembered when the tree yielded so much fruit the year before, that we served fresh figs and herbal tea every day… A lovely reminder of good things to come.
So if you’re feeling a little stressed with all the activity in your life, slow down and sip some tea. Treat yourself to a soak in the bath, and light an aromatherapy candle. Buy a new eco-organic lipstick. Walk the dog on a sunny day. Get a massage, or a rejuvenating facial. Doing good things for ourselves makes a huge difference in how we feel. When we feel good we have more energy to get things done and we help other people feel good.
Every day is a brand new day: an opportunity to grow, to accomplish and to improve our health and vitality.
Happy Spring!
