It is very hard to believe that I just took this photo a few days ago on my morning walk. The evening before we walked in a whiteout snowstorm and this morning the sun was shining and spring was trying to fight back. Crazy weather? Not if you live in the North Country. I have been spending most of my time now living here and have had the opportunity to go for morning and evening walks in the woods. My eight year old Boxer absolutely loves it. This past week got me really thinking about the seasons and wondering what season are we really in right now. I have also begun to think more about our “emotional seasons” and how they are often as crazy as the weather. What are emotional seasons? I believe our emotions or our phases in life very closely resemble the seasons. However, like the weather they often do not happen in any predictable order.
Spring- Spring is when we are feeling inspired. We have an abundance of ideas and energy. We often create new things or come up with new goals. We have hope that we are coming out of our winter and things will improve soon.
Summer- Summer is our season of hard work and growth. Like our garden this is the time that we really grow and develop. We are putting in the effort to accomplish our goals. We are focused and determined. We are also often very busy and can be overwhelmed at times.
Fall- Fall is when we shed our leaves. We may let go of things that are no longer serving us to make room for new possibilities. Old dreams and goals die like the leaves and fall from our lives. We begin to prepare for winter by focusing on the things that are really important to us. Our emotions start to slow down and we enter a period of simple contentment.
Winter- Winter is when we lay dormant. We often experience grief and despair in this season. We feel stagnant and stir crazy. We have very little motivation to make changes and this season often feels like it will never end.
This is a very general idea of how I relate our emotions to the different seasons. By having this reference I am often able to ask myself, “what season am I in right now” when I am experiencing an emotion. This helps me relate better to the emotion and know that just like the seasons this emotion is temporary. Even in the coldest, longest winter; there is always a spring on the way.
