Spring Forward

No Winter Lasts Forever; No Spring Skips It’s Turn … Hal Borland

April is my very Favourite month. Days are incrementally lengthening and warming. Daylight balances darkness. Bright Green leaves are Emerging from the Ground, punctuating the taupe, brown and buff winter colour scheme. with the Promise of Renewal, Rebirth and Transformation. Nature is busy reaching for its seasonal palette and I am filled with the Anticipation of Light, Warmth, Bird Song, Bees Buzzing, Flowers Blooming & the slower pace that Warmer, Lighter days brings. This morning, as I hung up the washing outside for the first time this year, feeling the sun on my back and listening to my favourite (bird) song, I just felt Grateful. When I picked up B from work, I could feel the sense of Cheer emanating from people. That Communal Delight, the Shared Smiles that  the first Truly Sunny Warm day of the year brings forth.

My Biorhythm and Wellbeing Respond Directly to Nature’s Reawakening and this April is a time of Reflection for me as I consider my journey through 2018 so far & the lessons it has taught me. With the Celebration of Springs’s new Life, Growth & Fertility, I am gathering a Clearer Sense of Direction; Growing and Giving my Energy to a Positive Approach; Connecting with an Open Heart & an Appreciative gaze; Finding out the Truth; trying another way; Exploring New Ideas; discussing problems Positively; Going Deeper; Recognising my Real Motivations; Accepting Responsibility for my Life being what it is and doing what is necessary; Transforming my Attitude; Giving space to my Flowing Emotions; Discovering who I am; Speaking the Truth; Being Different; Being Me.

I now need a Drive to Action, Discipline, Dedication, Determination, Intention & Delight in Self-Discovery. I want to Show Up; Be Responsive; Be Dependable; Make Amends; Focus on Tasks that will Improve my Life & the Life of others, especially those I Love Dearly & hold close to me; Rebuild Friendship Bridges; Fulfil my Promises, Commitments & Hopes; Experience more moments of Connection; Pay attention to what Inspires me & take note of how I can Cultivate more of this Quality; Give Light to my Blessings & Wishes; be Transparent in my Communication; have an Open Mind; Foster Optimism; Engender Motivation; Have Faith; Learn to Trust my Instincts and my Intuition; See the bigger Picture & Remain True to my Beliefs; Be Pragmatic where Planning, Effort & Time are needed to bring Ideas to Fruition; Be Imaginative; Explore & take a Wider Perspective of Life; Not be Concerned about showing my Wildest and most Expansive self & Manifesting what I Truly want to happen next!

The lengthening days are Brimming over with the Magic of Possibility; the Foaming Suds of Blossom are desperate to burst open. As I witness the unfurling of Mother Nature heralding in the seeds of these New Beginnings and Rhythms, I am also asking myself what Attributes I want to grow in this New Cycle? What Virtues do I want to live by and take forward as I Envisage the changes that are already in motion. How can I Embrace the Simplicity & Peace that will Nourish and Guide me as Gaia demonstrates so Magically? How do I remain Grounded & Energised, avoiding getting caught up in my “perceived” struggles? How can I be Courageous & Cautious in equal measure? How do I feel Liberated rather than Pressured? How do I find the Stillness within this Brimming over Excitement that stems from adrenalin pumping around my body, fuelled by these new Opportunities? How do I be an Anchor in my own life and in the life of others? How can I maintain a Calm Insight with Steady, Determined & Sustainable Actions? How should I gain Perspective & shift my Focus from Doing and Achieving into Reflecting and Assimilating all that comes to rest in me now? How do I Ensure that I am ALWAYS a Conscious Citizen, Ethical Consumer & Give Constant Thanks to Mother Earth for her Resources that my life possible?

Your Comfort Zone is an Island sitting in a sea of Opportunity

With good Intention, I decided that 2018 would be the year to take on a degree. Admittedly, even with a Positive Attitude, I don’t expect to pass this first year. I have an Enquiring mind but have realised that I like to Learn at my own pace. Truthfully, instead of being tied into a study routine, I’d rather be out picking up litter, tending to my garden, taking long walks & learning about, as well as volunteering at Citizen Advice (alongside my Amazing paid role). I want to Learn when I can fit it in not the other way around! I am not stranger to stepping outside my Comfort Zone, being a Sagittarius who gets easily bored. However, deciding to do this was a leap into totally unknown territory which is not becoming any more familiar after nearly 4 months! Given the Opportunity to study full-time, perhaps, I may have a chance of passing, but it is unlikely, with my Attention span & distinct lack of Discipline. My Interest, Desire & Motivation are not channelled correctly. All five of these Qualities are within me & are the reason I embarked on this Adventure, but I am finding it arduous to use them to my advantage in this scenario! I am too distracted by … Life. My Life… the life I Love & Enjoy … My Human Family; My Furry Family; Tending to my little Patch of Mother Earth & her surroundings; Sleep; &a job that I like very much and want (& in many ways need) to give more Attention to. Oh…& blogging either on this platform or Instagram. Anyway, I have no desire to study full-time. Goodness, how bored I would become!

Life has taught me that there is a reason for what happens & I believe that Opportunity will stem from this year & that feels Exciting. It is unlikely that I will pass this initial year, but I have Faith that it will give me the Wisdom & Confidence to use the Knowledge I have gained to Affirm a new Direction, new thinking patterns & new strategies for Change. And as long as I am Receptive to other people’s ideas while holding my Integrity and Honesty close; maintain Balance & Equilibrium; look for Solutions and Directions; Invoke the Courage to Consolidate the Changes I feel Inside; find ways to Connect to the Wild edges of myself while learning how to adapt quickly to new situations with Diplomacy, Clear Vision, Wisdom, Patience, Perseverance & a Deep Inner Knowing … my own seeds of Transformation will Burst Forth.

Doubt your Doubts before you Doubt your Faith … Dieter F Uchtdorf

Fear & doubt block the flow of Life force. The pressure of my unprepared for study routine, has unexpectedly unbalanced & disconnected me from the Flow of Life. April has bought back Balance just as Gaia regains her Harmony as she Emerges from the Soil. Love has Encouraged me to make the Positive Changes that Affirm my Chosen Direction. Insight has helped me to gather my Power & Strengths, both Inner & Outer & Celebrate what I have Achieved this year in my Quest to be of service to my Community, Mother Earth &her Inhabitants. Kindness has supported me to keep moving Forwards & never give up.

Kindness begets Kindness. When you are Kind to others, it not only changes you, it changes the World. Is there any such thing as a Small Act of Kindness as Every Good Deed Creates a Ripple of Virtue. A little Kindness to another person is far better than having a vast Love for all of Humanity- It’s more Achievable. World Hunger, Poverty, Homelessness and War are beyond the reach of and for most of us to be able to do anything about. However, making Life more pleasant for those around us is available for everyone to do. Be Content to be Yourself by doing little things without being paralysed by the greater issues. Grow where you plant it. Live an ordinary life as Creatively as you are able and that way Kindness is like the Sun – it just melts the ice of indifference. Kindness really is the language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see …
YOU CANNOT DO A KIND ACT TOO SOON BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW HOW SOON IT WILL BE TOO LATE …… Father Brian Darcy

Having Navigated these first few months, my cup brims over with Optimism and Excitement for 2018.
I will eternally have many moments during every day when I feel devastated, shattered and destroyed.
Spring, like Christmas increases these moments. This is a cruel season for farmed non-human animal beings with babies being torn from their mothers so Human beings can enjoy the terrorised taste of flesh. Every day I witness the dead bodies of Beautiful wild non-human beings on our roads which, at this time of year, is even more heart-wrenching because that dead soul may have been feeding and protecting her children who will die without her. Nature also seems increasingly crueller at this time of year when the survival of the fittest is never more on show.

Slowly, I am somehow finding a way to direct my hurt and distress into what I can do. Using the energy of my broken heart to do good. It has taken years to learn how to do this but I will never find a way to truly heal my pain with the world.

This is why litter-picking is so important to me as a steward of Mother Earth and her Wild Inhabitants. Trying every day to do something that causes a ripple effect of positivity, whether it is simply sharing my smile, picking up just one item of rubbish or helping someone in a more active way. This way of being grants me the power and permission to feel that Optimism and Excitement I talk about above.  I know Change is happening for me & our Precious Planet. 2018 is a Pivotal year.

2017 became more difficult &challenging as it progressed, I feel Hope and Belief that 2018 will be the opposite for me and Mother Earth.

I was in a place I did not belong in 2017. Somewhere I did not fit. My personality type did not match with the company (in both senses of the word) I was in & kept. I did not like who I had become, how the “company” had made me. A well-paid position did nothing for my well-being. I suppressed who I was, pretended to be someone different & paid the emotional price. Sadly, it was not until I broke that I was able to see that bigger picture.
Now, in a job that is not well paid (!) I can be me in all my wild glory! I am as happy as I could be in an Exciting job-role that offers such rewards as well as challenges to keep me on my toes. I am not hiding anything. I am not trying to be someone I am not. I am liked for who I am … &I like who I am there.

Money doesn’t make people happy. People make people happy.

With Spring has come Adventure & Anticipation; – a job where I still have so much to learn; study that challenges & confuses me; old & new friends; finding time to do even a little gardening; litter picking; photography & writing; but Best of All … my Family – Old and New. I am expecting news of the birth of my new Baby Niece, a Sister to my Scrumptious Nephew any hour now!

With Appreciation & Gratitude for All of the Above but Especially my new Baby Niece, my Darling Nephew, my Children, my Husband and Mother Gaia.

VeganCuckoo X