The Season of Hope

Dearest,

How are your nerves? Are they calm and chill or tight and wired up? Taking a breath in this moment, does it feel easy to just be or does even taking a conscious breath feel like another burdensome task? Give yourself a moment to take a big breath in, filled with whatever you need in this space.

It's Saturday afternoon and I'm looking out to grey wet skies. On first glance the garden feels bare. But then I actually take notice.

The Jasmine is in full bloom with its intoxicating scent. It's flowers capturing drops of rain and transforming them to crystal like jewellery which adorn its petals. The Daphne has finally bloomed. Timed to its own cycles without care of my expectations or anticipation. Daphne is one of my favourite scents. Its special place driven by how short and precious its season is. How does your environment currently feel? What glimmers of joy have you uncovered this last week?

For me this part of winter is the season of hope. It can feel sparse and empty, but when you pause, you begin to unveil all the growth that has been occurring, unnoticed. Bulbs exposing their fresh shoots skywards from the cold ground. Buds fattening upon dark leafless fruit trees, like guests at a surprise party - all staying hidden until the right time to burst forth.

Throughout the years the garden always comes back to this phase. And then, once again, moves on. Just like us. My seasonal cycles aren't something I can set to a calendar - neither predictable nor ever exactly the same. But seasons of hope always follow seasons of hibernation or change. Seasons of growth always precede seasons of thriving.

There is something calming about this constant change. The hard, heartbreaking and horrid times - they will evolve and with them we will carry lessons. The wonderful, celebratory and exciting times - they will become memories to cherish. And then there are these times of hope. Not good, not bad, more than likely unmemorable - just times.

In any of these times there is always a beauty to be found when we pause and give space. To accept everything as it is, not as we think it should be. We can then see clearly the action we need to take if it is change we desire. Or the acceptance to stay as it is. That is our choice. That is our power.

So Dearest, as this next week of our life evolves, I hope you choose to share your wonderful smile. I hope you choose to keep an open heart and mind. I hope you choose to move with kindness and a mindset of abundance.

Take care Dearest - of yourself, of others, of your thoughts, of your actions and of our beautiful world.

You are worthy - always

Ngā manaakitanga xx