Embracing Spring

I’m not sure I ever knew a real winter. I’ve been through 59 winters in my life and I never understood the first one, until now. I never even gave any thought to the changing of the seasons. Like sunrise and sunset, it was something that happened without anybody’s permission. I could prepare for it, but I couldn’t stop it if I wanted to.

Life winters are like that. They come without warning and there’s no stopping them. They can be blinding. Just as the cold changes nature every year, the darkest times in life can alter perspective. One day, you’re just trying to function, remember to wear shoes & breathe in and out. Then one morning you wake up and see everything through new eyes. It’s not something you can be plan. It can’t be avoided. It can’t be undone. Winters bring change. That’s what winters do.

I used to think the winters, or life challenges that we go through, are spaced out in some fair, appropriate, manageable way. I have no idea now, where I got that idea. Sometimes they come one after another, after another, after another. Sometimes, they hurt so much, you can’t breathe. Sometimes, they come so fast, there’s no way to recover before the next one. Sometimes, everything you knew to be real is ripped out from under you, just like that. Winter’s not for sissies.

And then comes the spring. When all of the clouds part, the sun shines again and for the first time in a long time, you find yourself looking forward. You find yourself unafraid of whatever comes next. You find yourself wondering, marveling at how you made it through. You find yourself standing up tall. You find yourself smiling at the darkness you beat. You find yourself so proud of the you who emerged from that blizzard life threw at you. You find yourself.

When you’re in the midst of your snowstorm, whether it comes in December or July, don’t ever give up. Your spring is coming. It’s bringing new life, new chances, new eyes. You’ll see things you’ve never seen. You’ll greet each day like you’re happy to see it, because you are. And you’ll finally understand, and maybe even embrace, your life winters. Now you know, they’re just preparing you for an amazing spring.