Spring Bloom (Kim)
It's been proven that the best way to start a new habit is to pair it when something else is starting. Got a new job? Time to start that new routine. Beginning of the year? Bring on the Resolutions. Start of Spring? Well, it's time to bloom!
There's something about the renewal of Spring which brings hope to so many who are emerging from the dark winter months. Like flowers, we struggle through the darkness to find that light, to push through to the surface to bloom. We soak in the sun. People will once again turn their face to the sun as they step outdoors, breathing deeply the fresh air. Hibernating mammals begin to stir. Insects start their morphing process. Humans start their cleaning process. As the daylight stretches longer into the evening, so many people start to experience their hope stretch further than it did a few months ago. Optimism has arrived.
Spring is a great time of year to start making changes! Spring is a verb as well as a season. It's time to take action. "Spring Cleaning" doesn't just have to be about the old clothes in your closet or cleaning behind the couches. It can be about cleaning up your life and what you are hoping to do. It can be a great time to get rid of that person in your life who doesn't fit anymore or holds you back. It can be about storing those bad winter habits. Despite how comfortable and reassuring those habits are, they might need to get packed up with the heavy winter jackets and blankets until the next go around.
What do we do once we've cleaned up all that space and made more room in our lives for things we love and enjoy? Well... we fill it with wonderful things. Time to pack in all the happiness, love, adventure, and friends, family, hopes, and dreams one can muster up. Maybe you even have room for a plant or two! Let that creativity flow. When one is blooming, there's no telling where one's roots and leaves might end up!
Spring is also a great time to start meeting new people! Groups and clubs start forming for the warmer months (in the northern hemisphere at least!) Outdoor meetups become more common - which can help with those goals of exercising or trying new activities! Local organizations begin to put on their summer programs for students out of school offering great ways to volunteer, join the community, or otherwise engage with people you might not meet. If you think you're alone in getting out there and trying new stuff, do not worry! You are not alone. So many people are starting to emerge from their own hidey holes, ready to try a new task. You will not be alone in exploring the wide world!
However, it can be scary to bloom. It can be scary to look under the bed and have to do the work to move it and clear what's accumulated. It can be scary to step outside. There are those who embrace the darkness. I feel you! There's something to be said about that time when we can sit alone, in solitude, in the dark, and contemplate happily and be content. That's perfectly fine. We all bloom at our own pace. Do not compare your growth to the other flowers. Some flowers only bloom briefly, while others bloom all year. Each is unique and brings something special to their environment.
The important part is that every day is an opportunity to bloom. Every day can be the day you poke your head outside and breathe in the fresh air. Every day could be the day you start that new habit or clean out a section of your home or life. Some plants bloom in the heat, some bloom in the shadows. Everyone deserves a chance to bloom, to open their petals and attract new organisms to them.
Spring is here. Whether it is a season to you or a verb, may you go forth knowing that you too have the opportunity to bloom. When you are ready, breathe deep and shoot up.
If you are feeling buried under the soil and need support to bloom, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us here at Letters Against Depression if you haven’t already. We send letters of hope and support to those who need someone there for them. You can request to receive letters here.