Spring Forward: Planting Seeds In A Season of Renewal
I believe when we hear the words “ spring forward ,” our minds go directly to the change of seasons and turning the clocks ahead. I think about how our senses start to detect new sights, sounds and smells outside and how nature seems to spring through the dirt at its own pace.
The Spring Forward Difference
I also believe the meaning of spring forward is different for everyone. For some it is moving forward in life with planned goals. For others it is about time and losing that hour of sleep.
For us here at Hope Grows, it marks the beginning of our growing season of vegetables and flowers.
Life Lessons In Nature
Spring has had a very slow start in our neck of the woods, but for good reason. I believe that nature has a way of healing itself and winter was not ready to allow spring to show its colors.
There are life lessons in nature, especially with the concept of ‘spring forward’ or moving forward in life. Many quotes and written words of encouragement exist, all with the goal of helping us to germinate ideas, pollinate motivation and cultivate change.
But does the due process of “jumping out of dormancy” help us to provide a temperate setting in moving forward?
At Hope Grows, we cultivate caregiver wellness by utilizing Therapeutic Respite™ and Root of Good Care™ models of support that integrate “ecopsychology”, a proven scientific approach exploring a human’s psychological interdependence with the rest of nature and the implications for identity, health and well-being.
Using ecological and psychological principles, we help individuals integrate a piece of earth for peace of mind™.
Germinate Ideas
A plethora of health messages exist, all teaching us the reasons to drink lots of water, eat the right foods, get some sun for Vitamin D and take deep breaths. Just like the needs of a seed, we need air, water, sunlight and nutrients to thrive.
Sounds easy to get to that place of harvest, right? But what gets in the way? I know for me, I have good intentions of exercise, but life events seem to always get in the way of routine, healthy changes.
One of the techniques I like to start with is mindfully staying present and putting our thoughts of change at the forefront of our brain. This can be difficult to maintain, but I sometimes ponder that perhaps it begins with judgment and thinking too much about the end result. Or saying things like, “Why bother, I don’t have the time I need to keep it moving forward” or “the class isn’t offered when I can go” or just about any other reason that might arrive.
Robert Louis Stevenson was quoted as saying, “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” There are a lot of environmental annoyances, or judgments, if you will, that can get in the way. Like a plant in nature, there are elements to endure. Germinate your ideas at your pace this spring and listen to your intuition that comes with that. Turn negatives to positives and don’t judge the end result. It isn’t there yet.
Pollinate Motivation
According to the transitive definition of the word “pollinate”, it means to “transfer pollen from the anthers to the stigma of a flower with the goal of producing new seeds.”
What an interesting thought of applying this to motivation, a concept of transferring our energy.
Think about what you can transfer from your mind to your actions with the goal of generating new beginnings. Staying on track with a “to do” list is one way of keeping yourself at the forefront of being mindful of moving forward. Placing reminder notes where you look everyday can be another effective tool to keep motivation at a forward moving pace.
If negative thinking stops you from staying motivated, place a positive reminder somewhere you look every day. For me, using a dry erase marker on my bathroom mirror is a great place. Whatever works for you, remember it is at your speed.
Cultivate Change
There are a lot of great synonyms for the word “cultivate”, such as nurture, encourage, support, and develop, to name a few. “Spring is a time to find out where you are, who you are and move toward where you are going,” said Penelope Trunk. Continue to take time cultivating change this season by looking at your identity, your health and your well-being. Explore what is not working for you and plant a new seed that you can nurture, both figuratively and literally.
At Hope Grows, our vegetable and flower seeds are planted, and we are not judging the harvest. Day by day we are nurturing their growth, and it’s exciting and invigorating to see what good intentions might just take root.