Spring: March 17 - 23

Did you notice a theme running through these meditations this month? I'm exploring common misperceptions about life and our faulty beliefs about how it should be:

Not in Control

Not Forever

Not Forever Again

I'm interrupting the series because something big is happening in the northern half of the world - spring is here. Don't worry, I'll continue the other half of the "Not" series in the weeks to follow with:

Not Perfect

Not Thoughts

Not Alone

But for now, let's return to spring as spring returns to us. Tuesday is the first day of spring.

English is an odd language but every now and then a word means exactly what you think it should. In Old English, this season was known as the springing time or the spring of the leaf. How apropos. Vibrant green shoots and tender buds are popping up all over the place here in Delaware. I'm delighted by the sight of daffodils, hyacinth and dogwoods on our daily walks. Each morning I stop and inspect the hydrangea bush along the driveway. Nature's renewal is happening before my very eyes - like magic.

Did you know we humans share 35% of the same DNA as crocuses? I'm beginning to believe the flowers and trees surrounding my home are actually my distant cousins. I swear I sense the season's vibration flowing through my veins just as the sap is rising in the tree next to my house where the cardinal lives. The crocuses popped their heads out just about the time I emerged from the indoor cloister of winter. I'm craving warmer days and bright skies. I share the same impulse as my brother and sister plants to burst forth with renewed energy. Do you feel it too?

Practice

If you're reading this, then you're either on your computer or smart device. For today's practice, I encourage you to disconnect from technology for a few minutes and tap into your crocus DNA. Sit or stand near an open window where you can see the sky and take in the outside world. Better yet, step outdoors and plant yourself like a tree or walk amid the trees. Don't worry about reading this script but rather come alive to all of your senses. Look up and down and all around. What do you see? Open your ears as the wind and birds sing an invitation. What do you hear? Sense the temperature, the humidity, the atmospheric pressure. What do you feel in your body? Experience life in your whole being. Awaken to the call of the season. Be still and become aware of the stirrings within, like the crocus with roots in the earth and petals lifted to the sky.