Early Spring 2010 - I Think it's Time
Dear Friends
'I think it's time,' my friend Kathleen said as she looked at the wilted tangle of vines hanging from the basket on my patio. Last summer, they were a lush tumble of bright blue morning glories. The thought of now chucking the whole shebang into the compost bin felt a little harsh to me. After all, I had known these vines from the time they were little seeds in a packet!
I know I'm not alone in sometimes hanging on to things that no longer add any value to my life. Some of us stay in relationships way past their shelf life, others stubbornly refuse to lose the spare tire 'round our middle, and others fiercely hold on to our big hair like it's 1987. Instead of making way for the new, we rationalize our resistance with all kinds of excuses: 'If I lose weight, I won't be able to wear all my beautiful clothes.' 'If I rip out these dead vines, I will admit defeat as a gardener. (Besides, it's not like the whole plant is dead. Every morning, there's one blossom that looks great.)' But for someone who has always followed William Morris' words 'Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful,' since when is 99.9% dead a keeper for me?
Mother Nature's got it down with spring. There are no stuck places in Nature. Everything runs its natural course, so there's a beautiful flow that ultimately results in new life, new beauty. But what do we do? We hold on, even when what we have is 99% ugly. We hold on to our pain, anger, and resentment, and we wonder why we experience headaches, depression, and possibly even cancer?
We need to welcome spring into our beings. As Kathleen says, 'I think it's time.' Let's ask ourselves what it's time to let go of. Spring is the perfect time to say goodbye to everything from that volunteer job that no longer brings joy to that 4-year-old jar of capers left over from the company picnic.
My hanging basket is once again an object of joy and beauty, this time with orange nasturtiums and blue and white allysum. I don't miss the 1% of beauty my one lone morning glory blossom brought me. My basket reminds me of the importance of letting go and clearing space for the new. And if I feel this good after replanting a hanging basket, cleaning out my bedroom closet could very well catapult me into nirvana. Wishing you all a springtime of release and renewal!
|
