OK, I confess, I’ve been in full-on hibernation mode. The irony is not lost on me that the topic of my last post of Winter Solstice and here we are having just passed the Spring Equinox. An entire season has passed! Not that I didn’t have good intentions or ideas or inspirations, it was simply hibernating and it just happened. I adore the seasons and they have so much to teach us. To be honest, while I was walking around in awe of the discreet beauty of winter and drinking pot after pot of tea to keep warm, I also felt lazy, undisciplined, and even guilty. Would I think that about a tulip bulb or a lilac bush or an oak tree? Can you imagine the rare critter scattering about looking at an oak tree in January and thinking, “I can’t believe how unproductive you are right now, what a lazy lump!” But what is there really to do when the sky is dark and the ground is cold? Just be. Have patience. Trust that light and warmth will return. Full trees and colorful blossoms would look out of place in a winter landscape. It would be forced and unnatural. To everything turn, turn, turn, There is a season turn, turn, turn, And a time to every purpose, Under heaven.

A few years ago I had the privilege of attending a David Hockney exhibit in San Francisco. He had moved from Los Angeles back to England and spent several years capturing the same landscape scenes during each season in a variety of mediums. I felt so much emotion at this exhibit because it captured the nuances and unique beauty of each season. When it was on display with all the seasons together it was so complete and stunning.

Like Hockney, I spent decades on the California coast, famous for its mild, stable weather and lack of seasons, and recently moved to England. In less than eight months, experiencing proper seasons has been one of my greatest joys living here. I wasn’t sure how I would find the winter being colder and darker than I was accustomed to. Surprisingly, I found it very beautiful in understated ways, tranquil, pensive, steady, and predictable. But not entirely: very subtly almost without notice, the days start getting a little longer each week, a little warmer. One morning, the birds are singing and another morning daffodils are sprouting up and offering the welcome gift of color. A few days later, the bare trees start to fill in with buds, tiny at first and then growing bigger each week until the first leaves pop out. Our senses gradually start to adjust to the sounds and colors of life where there has been none. It signals us to become alive too. The change of scenery reminds us that its time to show our vibrant colors and to begin the process of growing to our greatest heights and be filled with the warmth and energy of the sun and our surroundings. It reminds us that it’s time to leave behind the sleeping, introspective, quietness of winter and be grateful for the time of rest and renewal and recharge.

We all need periods of winter in our lives. Unfortunately, calm, still, thoughtful, and dormant are most often not valued characteristics in modern life that instead prefers high energy, productivity, and activity all the time incessantly! It’s not sustainable because it’s out of balance. It becomes forced and unnatural, it’s not complete. I encourage everyone to honor the season that you find yourself in in various areas of your life and allow the beauty and magic of each season run its course. If you’re feeling the spring energy like I am, what seeds will you be planting now that the ground has thawed? How high will you fly? How full will you grow? Will you take a class? Travel to a new place? Try a new recipe? Spend more time with friends and family? Do you need to allow yourself to be reflective and serene and have a winter season that you may have missed? Most importantly, how have you been hibernating? What parts of yourself have been dormant and need to come back to life? Happy spring! May you be filled with energy and vitality and may blossoms flourish in your life!