Closure Precedes Spring

“Life moves on and so should we”

---Spencer Johnson

WHO MOVED MY CHEESE

I chose a book from my shelf to share some time with my favorite author.  When I opened the book, an envelope fell out.  I recognized it immediately from years ago.  While attending a spring ritual for a group of women, we all wrote down 'seeds' we wanted to plant in spring, hoping to see them blossom in the summer and reap rewards in the fall.  We took the small slips of paper with our intentions written down and safely sealed them in envelopes.  Our outcomes would be shared during the forthcoming winter ritual.  Apparently, we never remained focused nor experienced closure.

Gently I opened the yellowed envelope, wondering what 'seeds' I would find.  The slips of paper were still folded and dropped into my lap.  One by one I read them all.  With pleasure, I made a small pile of 'seeds' I definitely had sowed and harvested much to my pleasure.  There was one strip of paper that didn't resonate with me at all.  I could not imagine what my abbreviated words were supposed to mean.  The last piece of paper I lingered over the longest.  It was an intention I definitely did not complete, even though I know I remember working very hard at it.  It was personal in nature and held great meaning for me at that time, but now  a few years had passed and I realized it was not realistic for me at all.

The successful goals were completed as they had something specifically to do with me.  They were successful due to my creative drive and spirit.  The goal left incomplete even though effort was made, was dependent upon another person's actions.  Clearly, we are more successful when we are focused on changing our selves and not dependent upon changing another.

I then realized all of my excitement about spring coming had over shadowed closure needed for those made last spring.  We must finish before we renew.  We must let go before we begin.  We must let die so we can be reborn.  We must clean up the left over clutter before it becomes a weight in our unconscious minds.

I sat in my chair being very mindful of what  'seeds' I needed to remove from my garden.  I needed to not only weed out the weeds, but to remove aspirations that would never grow.  Sad as that seems, we must face that some things just aren't meant to be.  We must place our love and energy into what we know we can grow.  Closure  precedes spring.

One Step

Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes.  In order to be free, we must learn how to let go.  Release the hurt.  Release the fear.  Refuse to entertain your old pain.  The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life.  What is it you would let go of today?  ~ Mary Manin Morrissey


Every day, we make transitions.  We get up out of bed and transition into our morning routine.  We transition to work and into different thought patterns for the work we do.  We transition from work mind sets to social settings, and then transition back home.  Once again we find our selves in reverse, transitioning back into our bed time routine in preparation for bed.

There are so many variables!  The mood we are in, the weather outside, how someone speaks to us or doesn't speak to us ... all of these situations impact our ability to transition or move forward.  Transitions can be well thought out with extensive planning or they can be impulsive and spontaneous.  Transitions can be exciting or dreadful, welcomed or feared, and successful or unsuccessful.

The healthiest transitions move us forward no matter how difficult they might be.  Whether we are changing locations, jobs, or families, we will experience all kinds of emotions.  It is difficult to say good-bye, but good-byes do not have to be forever.  To leave friends does not mean we no longer care about them.  If moving forward feels "right" but difficult, it is simply a challenge requiring courage and focus.

Moving forward can be easier if we focus on the adventure and what there may be waiting for us just ahead.  We acknowledge that any kind of change unsettles us, but it is not reason enough to keep us from allowing our lives to further unfold.

I loved to swing on swings and still do on rare occasion.  I loved being pregnant and raising children, and was very sad when the time came to move forward into another chapter in my life.
Leaving co-workers was very difficult while the excitement of a more lucrative job lured me forward.  Even though retirement was so very welcomed, there was a period of adjustment to establish a new way of identifying my self. 

Throughout the years, outcomes has been very positive with each transition.  Moving forward has done just that ... moved me further along life's path.  We need to take our foot off the brake, and coast into the next transition.  Obstacles may appear and things may not unfold smoothly, but all things considered, as long as we are connected with our inner spirit, all will be well.  It just takes one step in a new direction!