Spring has sprung. How many times have you heard that phrase? When I think of those words, I think of flowers in bloom, fresh rain on the garden, the blossoms on the fruit trees emerging, and the excitement that new growth is ready to burst.
Daylight Savings- also brings that sense of urgency. I will be honest, I feel like I am a spring being catapulted out of my bed when I lose that hour of slumber every March. I actually try to resist it. Losing an hour, what we say in the Iler Household, seems to us that we have one less hour of sleep, one less hour to get tucked into our home and lazily enjoy the sounds of home.
Springing Ahead, is getting up an hour earlier, longer days, getting outside and tackling more projects that were put on hold in the winter months.
So the awakening of spring, is a bit of coming out of our hibernation. This year, more than ever I was resisting it.
I think because for me, as an educator, it meant that I would be physically changing my space where I have developed a routine for teaching via distance learning. There would be major shifts in our household when we all spring back into the brick and mortar classrooms. Our daily lives will be much different in less than a week.
So, as I resisted, and wanted to spend more time in the attic, doing art projects, baking, researching home renovations, I noticed what I was doing was avoiding the fact that a new season is emerging.
I love that my family can snap me out of my funk with a phrase, a look, or a good pep talk. When Scott explained how grumpy I have been, I realized that It was the unknown that was causing me all of this anxiety.
So, I tried to think about what are the “knowns” in my life right now.
I know that I love to garden, I love to harvest my vegetables every summer, and I know the satisfaction it brings to all of us when we proudly can bring our canned tomatoes from the cellar.
So, what was I waiting for? I powered through my Friday, checking off the 100 To dos on my list, and decided to devote an entire Saturday to the Iler Homestead.
Tending to the vegetable garden, extending the chicken coop, weeding in the orchard, planting the dahlia bulbs that were gifted to us. A BIG day at our home, but a day that would Ground me, no pun intended, as spring was excitedly bursting.
As I took on this lofty endeavor, I realized that as I was working through the weeds, pulling out the left over veggies from last year, checking on the mulched soil, I was really cultivating my thoughts and preparing my mind for what is to come.
After the hard work of tending to the garden, my girls came in to help with the icing on the cake. As each one sat in the garden and busily planted cucumbers, eggplants, tomato varieties, herbs, etc, there was a sense of tranquility that all of a sudden appeared. Rebecca was finding the worms that were aerating the soil, Hannah was inspecting the spacing of the vegetables in the garden, Riley was busily supervising the process, Scott was woodworking, and I was a keen observer just taking in the moment.
That little moment was exactly what my heart and mind was needing. I needed to reconnect with a hobby, with my family, with what fulfills my spirit.
How often do we busily try to complete the check off list and forget to honor ourselves. I know that I can’t devote an entire weekend to “ME” time but what I can do is prioritize what will help me focus and bring me peace in an afternoon.
At the end of that day, when we sat down and ate the homemade chili verde (I just had to make this family recipe!), we were all tired but we were satisfied. The personal accomplishment of that day far outweighed the work accomplishment that was looming in the background.
That Saturday grounded me. I wonder if we could all find some grounding moments these days. What calls to your heart when life is bustling around you? Could you carve out time in a day and tend to it? I think you will be pleasantly surprised how helpful it could be for your overall well being.
Is it a yoga class, is it a walk in the hills, is it beach combing, is it indulging in in a great book, or is it merely sitting and observing nature? Any of these simple acts can provide health benefits beyond belief. I look forward to hearing what you decide to do for yourself.
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