The Presence and Presents of Seasonal Alignment
A Mindful Spin on Collaborative Journaling
I took my dog out yesterday before dawn and noticed that a patch of daffodils was just starting to crack through the surface of our flower bed. On our next trip outside, they had fully emerged from the mulch.
Today, they’re nearly 2 inches tall.
The speed of how things change in the spring and fall is one of the things I love about western Pennsylvania. I’m filled with awe as plants race up towards the sun on the first warmer day. I’m amazed that we can have rain, sleet, snow, hail, and clear skies, all within a matter of hours.
The key to savoring these seasonal transformations? Noticing them in the first place.
I’ve been thinking about what we notice and what we miss in our ordinary lives since reading “Five Blocks of Wonder” by my friend, . He shows us a lovely way to be present to the world around us.
I think this kind of mindfulness is perfectly applied to seasonal changes.
But to be honest, I’m not great at being present.
It’s so easy to run on autopilot, to miss the process of change as it unfolds. My brain is elsewhere (probably making a plan for something). My body is out of touch with the ground.
In times of rapid seasonal change, there’s so much to miss if we aren’t paying attention.
Suddenly, we’re looking out on a row of fully leaved trees, only to wonder how we missed the buds.
Let’s take a moment to be present and invite presence into our journaling.
This month, as part of our Collaborative Journaling (CJ) process, I want to invite you to take a moment to notice what is happening around you.
Perhaps you’re not in the height of a spring or fall transformation where you live. That’s fine. Just pay attention to whatever is present around you. Then get your journal out and begin.
Collaborative Journaling Instructions:
1. Please journal about what seasonal signs you notice when you are present in your world. How is it for you to tune into seasonality?
2. Paste your typed text in the body of an email or attach a photo/video of your responses. Email your response to me: journaling[at]singularlysensitive[dot]com (journaling@singularlysensitive.com).
3. Please send your response no later than 11 PM Eastern on Tuesday, March 25th.
4. Technical issues can happen, and I’m human. I will make every attempt to email you my response within 24 hours. If it’s been more than 48 hours and you still haven’t gotten a response from me, please check in with me so I don’t inadvertently miss your response.
Please keep in mind these points if you choose to join me for CJ:
· There’s no right or wrong way to respond. If you don’t want to write, feel free to send me a photo or recording of other mediums of expression. The sky’s the limit.
· CJ is meant to be an interpersonal exchange of ideas—think journaling pen pals. It isn’t therapy, coaching, a class, a medical intervention, or a prescription. You should contact the appropriate professionals in your life if you need those kinds of support.
· Trust your intuition about whether to participate in CJ and how. I trust you to be responsible for your reactions and your needs. If this process brings up distressing memories or emotions, seek professional help in your community.
Being present with the seasons is a gift.
Living in harmony with the seasons is a big part of who I am, but I want to become even more aligned. That means making choices that fit with my environment. I adjust my diet, my activities, even my sleep schedule to reflect this transition between winter and spring.
This kind of seasonality is part of how I was raised as a rural kid. It also reflects my connection to generations of farmers and fishermen whose lives were intimately entwined with the natural world.
It’s in my genes to pay attention to nature. Only in the modern era has it been possible to ignore the seasons and still make a living. But is that a life?
I don’t want to pay the price of divorcing myself from seasonality. Being mindful keeps my connection to the seasons strong.
My life is richer when I smell the musty winter leaves breaking down under my feet. My connection to the earth is stronger when I pluck wild ramps for dinner.
My spirit finds hope in watching the daffodils grow, like they have every year, even when this year feels like no other year I’ve experienced.
I hope you’ll take up this invitation to be present to how you move through the seasons. I wish you the joy and the awe of this season and all seasons to come!
Warmly,
Lori
P.S. Want to find ways to bring your awareness of seasonality into your professional sphere? My friend and mentor, Maegan Megginson, is hosting a Spring Seasonal Planning Workshop this Friday, March 21st.
Maegan has a brilliant ability to help people to prioritize their lives while they grow their businesses. She’s deeply committed to bringing seasonal alignment into your business practices. I’ll be at the workshop, and I’d love for you to join me. Register HERE (affiliate link).
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. This time of year often brings a mix of cold weather with the occasional warm days, transitioning from sunny to cloudy and rainy. From one day to the next in New England we never know what to expect with the weather. However, one constant we can always rely on is the blooming of daffodils and irises, emerging from our gardens, sidewalk edges, and even the gardens at shopping centers, restaurants, health facilities, etc. If we aren’t willing to time to look down with the intention to find Mother Nature waking up all around us, we will miss all of her little miracles.
I became deeply engaged watching the blooming process in the spring of 2020 to 2022 when most of us who could minimized our time outside in our living spaces (porches, front and backyard yards, etc.). That’s why I decided to head outside to our gardens on a search for any signs of new life in our gardens. I soon began documenting (photographing) every sign of a flower peaking through the soil. I must have hundreds of photos showcasing different species as they regenerated, allowing my husband and I to enjoy, admire, and, most importantly, truly appreciate the wonder of it all. Looking back I can acknowledge that I was practicing mindfulness without realizing it. I was simply committed to pause long enough to observe, record what I was seeing while feeling a rush of joy and gratitude. As of today I have been practicing mindful meditation everyday. I regard it as a gift to myself first, then to my family, friends and strangers!
Lori, You describe the seasonal change so lusciously! Thank you for the reminder to soak in every moment of the seasonal change. Right now, it's a gray day where I am in Hawaii and the distinctions between the seasons aren't so sharp, but they exist. I will have to fine tune my mindfulness all the more.