seeds of hope

Seedlings thrill me. When 'my baby' was a very young boy he was always highly amused by my delight at this time of year. Whenever new shoots pushed through the soil, I'd dance around in excitement. He'd say "Mam, you knew they'd grow, so what's the big deal"? I'd reply "But I didn't know. We can never know for sure, so it's a miracle!" Then we'd both laugh ourselves silly.

​The time we find ourselves in now reminds me of gardening. The virus has halted the world in some respects. It's like when weather interferes with our plans and nothing can be done about it, yet the air is being purified and the soil continues to nourish everything within. We are similar to vegitation; our journey begins in the darkness of the womb but our whole life is about growing and expanding towards the light; what a trip! 

Now is all we have. To be in the present moment is to put job losses, bills, debt and all the material stuff aside to appreciate that being alive is what matters. When the mind is peaceful there is also an opportunity to plant seeds for the future. You might decide to form a new habit to keep yourself well or dream a new dream...

​Growth happens in different ways for different people. For you, that might mean allowing yourself the gift every day of taking some peaceful time for meditation, reading, yoga or walking. For someone else it could men taking up something completely new or reconnecting with a hobby they used to enjoy many moons ago. Maybe it's creativity you crave, like learning how to cook something new, sewing or crochet? Perhaps you like singing or dancing but think you're not 'good enough', or it's too late? Whatever activity resonates with you, there is no better time than now, so don’t sabotage your own happiness. Life is not actually a competition or meant to be a threadmill of constant achievement and pushing, so if you've been sucked into that mindset, try being gentle with yourself. If doubt creeps in, weed out your mind with some deep, cleansing breaths and carry on. Do something that you actually enjoy, for fun. Make the most of your precious time in a nurturing way.