Spring is a time for planting and fostering new growth. Sometimes what blossoms however doesn’t resemble the seeds we've planted.
This year my lawn is struggling so I invited two reputable lawn services to take a look at it. One told me my grass was infested with bugs and recommended that I treat it with chemicals. The other simply said, “Your soil is old and tired and needs to be rejuvenated.” He recommended fertilization, aeration, seeding, and fortifying the lawn with compost.
The two treatments are radically different and as I thought about which way to proceed I realized it was a metaphor for how we respond to stagnant periods in life.
During periods of dormancy we often wait for events or situations to spur us on to new heights. But ... what happens when those situations don’t occur? When the doors don’t open? When someone doesn’t return our love? Or when we don’t get the promotion or new job? During dormant periods we often wait for something to move us forward and if it doesn’t happen – we feel stuck!
This is true no matter what area of life is stagnant, whether the breakthrough we desire is physical, mental or spiritual.
People handle stagnation differently. Some treat themselves with excess, like alcohol, drugs, food, work or other superficial stimulants which generate a false sense of comfort. Others fortify their mind by learning new things, or strengthen their body through exercise or cultivate spiritual growth by turning inward to seek answers. Stagnant periods give us opportunities to grow differently, perhaps in areas yearning to blossom.
I have some decisions to make about my lawn and somehow feel it’s prompting me to examine dormant areas of my life and make some decisions about how I treat myself. Perhaps rather than being disappointed in the progress of some projects, I should step up my commitment to my treatments. I could also embrace that I am exactly where I am meant to be and sometimes the reason for stagnation is to rest. After all, rest is needed to prepare for any new phase of growth.
Spring – a time for planting new seeds and trusting they’ll grow, but a time to nurture and love our self, have patience and trust that sometimes growth doesn’t always look like the seeds we’ve planted, and sometimes we just need to rest and rejuvenate.
How's your lawn looking? Happy spring.
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