The day after.

Twas a long winter. 

I’ve said this to several people lately as some sort of excuse for myself and I have been met with similar anguished looks and words of both understanding and agreement. Everyone seems to both understand exactly what I am talking about and agree that this winter was long. I don’t know what about this winter was different from all the other winters but I think it has something to do with everyone being so tired to begin with and the dark days not doing anyone any favors.

The weather is a typical March in the Northeast; sunny days are rare but they keep popping up to show us that spring is coming. Flower buds are sprinkled all over as little glimpses of hope that remind us to keep going and soon there will be more beauty around us then we know what to do with. Soon. The side of the road Amish stands will be stocked daily with fresh cut wildflowers. The patio chairs and tables will make their way out of storage and be filled with people enjoying their outside refreshments. Seasonal beverages will transition from warm and cozy drinks to iced concoctions. We will soon shift our tangible heavy burdens, leaving bulky winter coats we have to lug around and accessories like hats and gloves we have to keep track of behind behind in a closet or totter until next year.

We will feel lighter in the sunshine with our iced drinks and lighter clothing. But right now, we have to finish off the last dregs of a winter that felt so long. As I personally stumble through these last days I can’t help but look ahead and reflect back. The winter wasn’t all bad, but something has to give.

When change is needed, you need to change. You change by doing different things than you have been doing. It requires stretching and growth. It requires you to change your thinking and be curious. How do you do this? Well, I think that the answer lies in the ordinary simple daily shifts in what you do and how you think. If you are like me, that sounds lovely but you need more information! Give me the exact steps I need to take and I’ll do it…..but I cannot find any instructions anywhere (believe me, I have looked). So what do we do? We forge on. I think we become different by doing new things every. single. day. until we figure out what we love and what we don’t need. Then we live a life filled with all those things we love and little of the things that are not for us.

I don’t know what will fill this blog, but I am excited to see. All I know for sure is the next year will pass anyway, there is nothing to lose and everything to gain. There will be new experiences, new people, and new things to learn. If you believe in the power of positive thinking…. How wonderful this year could be if only I had the courage to step out of my comfort zone & try? How great it would be, one year from now, to have a life of all the good stuff and a list of things we tried…but didn’t love so we don’t have to keep doing.

Let me know in the comments if you have any suggestions for new things to try or learn.