Spring

Last week I shared my wintering lessons, and now as temperatures get a little warmer and the very first early blossoms are peeking out, let's talk about spring. 

I recently re-read Parker Palmer's Let Your Life Speak and especially appreciated Palmer's musings on the seasons. In writing about spring, he points out the we all love to celebrate the jubilant awakening of spring - riotous blossoms, new life bursting all around. 

But before all of that budding and buzzing, spring is really messy. Early spring is wet and muddy and mucky and pretty gross. It's cold and damp. It's unpredictable. 

Eventually, the flowers, buds, and leaves burst out and carpet the earth, and we all celebrate the renewal of life. But don't forget - it was messy before it was beautiful. And, in fact, the messiness is necessary to create the beauty. Without the wet and the decay and the mud, spring wouldn't have the ingredients it needs to bloom. 

We need decay to fuel the blossoms. Spring is messy before it's beautiful - that's not an unfortunate side-effect but a requirement. It's part of the design. 

So, if you're feeling muddy and mucky right now, maybe it's all fuel and preparation for the blooming.