Waiting for Spring, Enjoying the Winter

I like to try to enjoy and be present in the time I am in right now, no matter what season it is. Whether it's summer or spring, winter or fall, happiness or hard times, today and right now are things that I focus on. It always baffles me how much energy I see people use on complaining and worrying and wishing something were different. Always saying "if only"....You hear it all the time. "If only it were spring," "If only I didn't have these problems," "If only I were richer," "If only these people acted differently," ad nauseum.....

I like to enjoy the season I am in. It is winter now, and wow, we've had a memorable winter with 2 huge snows. My kids will be talking about these snows with 10+ inches for years and years after they're all grown and finished with school.

I love looking for signs of spring, too. I have seen my first crocus this year, in between the two big snows. It didn't bother me that they got snowed over. They did their beautiful job. Crocuses love to bloom when it's almost spring, even through snow.

Parenting is the same. My husband and I have always been given generous amounts of advice at each stage of our children's growth. The main theme was always something like, Just wait, it gets better.....or Just wait, it gets worse. Why not just accept the fact that each stage is wonderful and each stage will come with joys and challenges? No need to rush through each season. It is enough to know that each season has a time limit. Each season has joy and grief. Some seasons bring more death than life, like fall and winter. But even in the winter, the crocuses and other flowers and perennials are preparing to bloom again. Shoot, some flowers, like tulips, actually need a super cold time or they won't bloom at all in the spring.

So it is with life, too. Kids grow into young people, and then adults. Adults grow into adulthood and middle age, and then into older years. Watching friends and family mature and grow into older years is definitely a hard season. It has been hard for me to watch my grandparents and great grandparents pass on from this life. It has been hard for me to watch my parents grow older and watch them have more physical challenges, ones that come with everyone as they get older.

That is a comfort, too. Just knowing that growing and aging is something that everyone goes through. It is common to the human race. Moms survive the sleepless nights and round the clock baby feedings. Moms and dads survive toddlerhood and potty training. We all eventually succeed in reaching different milestones of growth and maturity. I find myself saying to myself encouraging words......if other people have experienced this and survived and even thrived, then I can, too.

When you get to different stages, I find that there are new levels of ways you can relate to other people, and that's good, too. Some things you just can't relate to until you go through it.

So again with the seasons.....it is winter now here where I live. I choose to enjoy the winter and enjoy the slow pace of snow days. Busyness and the urgency of spring will come soon enough. I just have to remind myself to not get too grumpy at times and look for the joys of today.