I love Spring and this time of year. The new growth in the garden, the blossom beginning to make an appearance, the anticipation of the flowers which will arrive in a few months time and I also love the work which goes into making all of this possible in the garden. It strikes me of the personal work we need to put into ourselves to feel alive and vibrant.
I have always loved plants, so much so I almost did Botany for my degree, although at the last moment chose Biochemistry, with an emphasis on plants. I also love learning about beneficial herbs, the flavours plants impart upon our palate and the symbiotic nature between plants and animals is fascinating.
Plants represent many things and one I want to focus upon today, is the way a plant re-emerges from the ground, as an analogy for our own sense of renewal.
Each year, the plants re-emerge and grow, despite or because of weather conditions and adversity. Yet what happens to us when we encounter adversity? When we are let down, disappointed, become ill, face trauma, what are our options? To wither or thrive?
There is often talk of resilience in such circumstances, where we bounce back but what if we are broken? Can we bounce back? I know in some personal development circles, people don’t subscribe to the thought we are broken and yet to me, we can be. Life gets too much, our bodies get ill… for me personally, I felt very broken after breast cancer and the subsequent treatments which literally destroyed my cells and my physical body, I have felt broken due to intense stress, broken due to failed relationships… and self-renewal, the ability to rebuild oneself from the broken pieces seems so much more applicable than resilience.
To achieve renewal we need a hospitable environment, just like our plants. A personal environment where you believe you are capable, you have strong standards, you care about yourself and the potential for what you can become. You need to believe in the vision that you are worth putting back together. That you are valuable.
As we take a tentative step forward, so we affirm to self that we can be vital and vigorous rather than rigid and stiff. This is also an important concept as we grow older, and our focus can narrow, we become set in our ways and we can feel lost to our purpose as we lose our perception to the fresh and new in our environment. Yet as a plant renews afresh each year, can we? How can we shake ourselves out of our apathy? To recapture the exhilaration of our daily experiences.
A big part of self-renewal is self-knowledge, to be present to our environment and our life. We need to be familiar with ourselves and the capacity of love we hold for self and others.
So ask yourself, in this moment of Spring, as you re-emerge from the slumber of winter or as you put yourself back together after a period of falling to pieces:
- What do you want to take forward?
- What do you want to leave behind like the old growth?
- How do you want to renew yourself?
- What do you need?
- How will you support yourself in your new growth?
As you commit to your self-renewal notice with fresh eyes, a new perspective, an open creative mind to see what direction you find yourself walking upon to nourish and nurture yourself.
And like our plants, grow slowly with time, don’t rush this process of self-renewal.
For more about how to spring clean your mind, body and home, click here.