This year in New England, snow days were mercifully few, which makes the “spring thaw” a little bit less dramatic than it’s been in years past. But the transition from winter into spring is always a time of year when I feel impatient.
As spring draws near, I feel like the whole world is teetering on a beautiful brink. On my fruit trees, buds are starting to swell, soon to erupt into fresh, tender leaves and flowers. In the garden, bulbs are sending up shoots in hopes that the sun will warmly welcome their blossoms. Everything feels like it’s just about to happen.
Which leaves me feeling impatient. Open up, already! Grow! Warm up!
Wait—are we still talking about leaves and flowers? Or are we talking about life?
Making positive change is a long project. There might be some stagnant, wintry times along the way before the sought-after growth and benefit can bloom. Those last few steps might even be the hardest, because you’ll know you’re almost there…but not quite.
Part of walking a positive path is cultivating the habit of seeing challenges as opportunities.
With this mindset, the challenge of impatience can be greeted as an opportunity to relish the anticipation of positive things to come. To take deep breaths of that almost-spring air and feel it warming even as you stand there. And to know that you arrived at this nearly-there moment after a long, brave journey.
How do you feel in the early days of spring?
