march on

just a bit of a visual post as this month has mostly been about observing. observing the changes, the flourishing, the wheel turning, the new, and the old. 

 first the daffodils and cherry blossoms, the apple blossoms and pear. now the red bud and forsythia, camellia, and tulips.

 the grass, the moss, the woodland weeds are all greening while the remaining islands of dead autumn leaves glare up at me and say, push me aside and let new life grow!

turning a fresh new leaf in my emotions as well with my unemployment ending 

sooner than  expected in early march as i landed a part time communications job at 

an awesome local nonprofit. 

 while i miss the creativity i had in my former job as product photographer, i don't miss it half as much as i thought i would. that whole experience feels a bit like fugue state. i am very excited to be in a bright new supportive environment where the mission for good has a clear and obvious impact. i am facing the new frontier from the other side of the lens and i know it will make my vision sharper. 

and so i am observing, learning, listening, testing, flowing, spinning, and carefully stepping along this new path, pushing old dead leaves aside, ready for bright new growth.

spring into action

tristan has been rather determined to stick these halloween window stickers up lately, much to my despair. even though it's cold, gray, and sometimes snowy these days, we are not in the dying season! 

spring equinox snuck up on me. i had no special rituals, crafts, or recipes lined up. while the sun was out, there was a cold chill i couldn't seem to toss aside. there was no spring to my step today. it might as well have been the onset of winter, such was my icy state of mind. but when we were listening to music and tristan asked me to dance, i felt the thaw begin.

and then we went outside seeking signs of spring. . .

 

when you are at the edges of a new terrain you sometimes have to leap forward before you can fully appreciate the fresh view. gazing through the windows at the crocuses and daffodils struggling against the cold. watching the blue jays swoop by while the deer graze. opening the door so the cats can go in and out and in and out. noticing through the car window that the apple blossoms have arrived and that the trees are beginning to green with buds. this is not enough. it is like sitting at the edge of the pool dipping your feet in while every one else is soaked and splashing.

when tristan and i finally burst through the doors and felt the sun against our skin, i remembered something about myself. direct contact with warm sun chases away my icy moods. when he handed me a crocus and insisted we collect a bouquet of daffodils, i was reminded that children are miraculous and temporary, like flowers. and when we both returned to the indoors, ready to move on to the next part of our day without so much friction and fuss, i remembered that time spent in nature is as important as lunch.

so while i didn't meet spring with ritual and intention, it met me.

happy days of spring awakening!