I’m ready to say good-bye to winter. I’m not someone who dreads the cold – I actually enjoy it. I like sweaters, boots and jeans. I like the snow and the look of the winter sky. I like cocooning. Johanna, one of my yoga teachers, was quick to remind us that without winter, there can be no spring; without death there is no rebirth.

So while it was my first inclination to kick winter to the curb, I realized that wasn’t a good idea. Winter deserves a proper good-bye. Maybe even a kind, “thank you.” I learned a lot this winter; tough lessons, yes, but ones that were necessary. Lessons that would leave me living a lesser life without having gotten. 

Lessons from Winter:

1. We all have limits. Acknowledging them gives us the opportunity to challenge ourselves and improve our decision-making, thereby increasing our levels of happiness in the long-run.
2. There’s no glory in having every minute of free time packed to the gills; spontaneity brings great joy.
3. It’s okay to sit with loss; it’s okay to feel a little empty; it’s okay to have room in our lives because room offers the chance for new beginnings.
4. “I don’t know” is not a declaration of weakness; it’s the very beginning of something that will come to be.

In letting go of winter and thanking the season for all of the gifts it has given me, I found it necessary to create some positive intentions for the spring as a welcoming of the season. A seed for rebirth, gestation and growth.

Inviting Intentions for the Spring:

1. I will be open to ideas of how to utilize my yoga practice and new teacher certification to start my own business.
2. Allow creativity to flow through me and out of my paint brush to leave me with beautiful water color paintings for my apartment.
3. I will surrender control of time and space to allow room for spontaneity in my life.

So, with that being said, I bid you farewell winter and thank you for teaching me in spite of the difficulty of the task. Because of you, my spring and summer are now set to be far happier than they would have been without you. I’ll see you in December, when I am sure, you’ll have arrived with even more lessons that I will undoubtedly need. Next time, I will be a more willing student.

Let’s hear it Pinkies - what are some of the lessons you can thank the winter season for? How has calming presence brought wisdom to your life? What are you attracting to you this spring? New love, abundance, clarity?

Springing forward,
Christa