Expressions of Spring as seen through Nature
All life begins with a Vision or Blueprint:
With the coming of spring, Mother Earth comes back to life with a shiny green garment that beckons us to go outside and feel the sun warming our skin. It’s a time of birth / rebirth and growth.
All life begins with a seed which holds the vision or blueprint for what the plant will become. Humans also have a vision for their life. It may not be as clear as looking at a pepper or a tomato plant and seeing the difference, but nonetheless humans develop gifts and talents as they grow from a child, through youth, adulthood and wisdom years. Each life is impacted by family and community as they observe and support these gifts.
Developing a sense of purpose in young children can begin early in life. They can learn how to garden and help with family chores as you watch them grow.
You feed the spirit of the young adult as they approach the teen years by acknowledging and encouraging the further development of personal characteristics, innate skills, and even latent talents you observe.
Transitions from adult to elder are equally important. Often societies devalue aging rather than celebrating the transition to wisdom years. How much knowledge and insights are sitting lonely in assisted living facilities because no one acknowledges their gifts?
Honoring transitions in life from youth to young adult, to adult and into our wisdom years is paramount in imparting self-confidence throughout life’s journey. Recognizing each individual’s unique contribution, regardless of age, is a way to encourage positive growth and a sense of worth.
Appropriate Anger and Boundary Setting:
Seeds breaks open and exert a force to push through the soil which is necessary for survival. As trees grow, they develop a layer of bark representing a boundary to protect themselves from predators such as insects, birds, or animals. The bark inhibits invaders and keeps the tree safe.
If the bark is too ridged the wind will cause its limbs to snap. When the bark is too weak it cannot support the weight of the tree and again it is doomed to fall. Finding the right thickness of bark allows the trees to bend in the wind but not break.
Humans also need to set healthy boundaries in life to protect them from the extremes of being seen as someone who can never say no or as someone who is always demanding to get their way. Balance is the key and it is learned through the use of appropriate anger.
Perhaps the easiest way to communicate appropriate anger is through an example. If you are in line and someone backs up and steps on your toe you will naturally feel angry and likely say, “Excuse me, you just stepped on my toe!” You then learn from this to keep a safe distance between you and the person ahead of you in line. This is one way you establish a healthy boundary and it can apply to many other situations in life where you need to say, “No! This is all I am willing to do.”
By expressing your feelings with appropriate anger, you do not bottle up your emotions, you simply let them flow in everyday life situations. This creates open 2-way communication and prevents escalation to inappropriate anger such as use of excessive force. This is the balance we humans need to find.
