Sowing Seeds
“You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep Spring from coming.”
Today is the midway point between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox, and as such the beginning of the spring season. My qi energy peaks now each year and continues through May, when summer begins to ascend. This is my time to Get Stuff Done (TM).
Last spring, as I continued adjusting my inner “soil,” I began sowing fresh seeds of possibility. This stage was about intentionally deciding which projects, habits, and relationships I wanted to cultivate in the next season of my life. Through each of my related, if unclear and sometimes contradictory, efforts I identified key aspirations: designing a more sustainable work schedule, dedicating true quality time to my supportive family, while expanding my horizons.
Planting seeds requires faith. At first, it feels like burying hopes in the dark; you won’t immediately see results. Yet, I find solace in Neruda’s reminder that no matter how difficult life’s winters can be, spring remains unstoppable. My personal winter, marked by injury and uncertainty, is beginning to melt away as I find activities that energize rather than drain me.
Each seed I plant, especially when it comes to family, signals the beginning a renewed sense of purpose. And yet, while some of my metaphorical crops show signs of growth, many of the seeds have failed to germinate and some have turned toxic, leaving part of my “soil” tainted and requiring a return to re-fertilize and re-plant another time. 2023 was a year of both unfortunate short term setbacks and fervent optimism about the long term. To date, 2024 has been bustling with activity, progress and possibilities.
The act of sowing requires patience, vulnerability, hope, resilience and a small measure of luck. It’s an ongoing investment in the future, an affirmation that growth is not just possible but inevitable when nurtured by the right conditions.
[Neruda, Pablo. 100 Love Sonnets/Cien Sonetos de Amor. Translated by Stephen Tapscott, University of Texas Press, 1986.]