Seeds of Tomorrow

     New Beginnings are an exciting time.  Things are both fresh and fragile. There is both an anticipation and wonder of what will be. It is a time of learning and exploration as well as reflection and planning. 

           New beginnings are also just, that. NEW. They give us a chance to start over with a fresh slate. Maybe it is a new haircut,  a new house, a new job, or even just a new daily routine. The amazing part of this is that each day we are greeted with newness, even if we don't change anything about our lives. The fact that the day starts over fresh and new is our reset button. We even have the opportunity to hit that reset button in the middle of the day. It is our choice. 

           Yet many of us, myself included,  rush through our routines with to-do lists that never get completed and end our days with just as much frustration and stress as the day before.  Friends we need to stop this cycle. It is draining our joy and the ability for us to focus on the newness all around us.  It affects our health, our relationships, and all that makes us gifts to the world. 

            Today, I almost missed the newness of my seedlings that were planted just a few days ago. There they were, pushing through the nourishing soil, working their roots down and their heads high. They have been busy doing their thing under the dome of warmth and safety. But I almost missed it.

            My day was filled with driving in the pouring rain back and forth across the Mississippi River hither and yon. By the time I came home my head was splitting, my mind was numb, and the coffee that I thought would be a magical elixir to stop the throbbing failed.  I needed to hit the reset button. 

             For me, that meant I needed a nap. 

             I needed to stop. 

             I needed to rest. 

             So I did.

             Here's the thing.  So many times we just keep going. We continue to push through because that little voice in our head tells us that this is what society tells us we should do. We should be able to spin 7,893 plates all at once because we are strong, smart, wise, wonder women.  And don't get me wrong because truly you are all of the above.

              You are strong.

              You are smart.

              You are wise.

              And yes, many small people in our lives consider us super heroes in our own rights because of the magic lassos we wield so effortlessly.

               However, we must remember that to be keep our STRENGTH we need to rest. We need to feed ourselves both nutritionally and soulfully.  We need to drink in the words of other friends who can fill our cups when we draw near to the bottom. And sometimes we need to ask for a refill, again and again. Many of us thirst for support, yet we sit dehydrated in darkness because we fear being judged. Asking for support is not a sign of weakness. That is a sign that you are nourishing yourself from the inside out and your are smart enough to know you can't do it alone.

               And you have the market cornered on SMARTS. You know when you are wavering. You know when you are carrying too much.  Honestly, come on.  We know that NO ONE can balance and spin 7,893 plates. It is impossible.  Yet we continue to try. Who really lives in those Pinterest houses after all?  

               Unfortunately, the reality is that the more we add to our balancing act, certain plates fall. They break and are not replaced. This is fine for things like hobbies that once filled our time like scrapbooking and knitting. Those plates don't have hearts. 

               But sometimes, our spinning causes plates with hearts and eyes to lose their balance as well. These plates are relationships that fall to the ground, crack, and roll far our of our reach. We say we will pick them up another time but we don't. These plates are not easily glued back together. 

               There are plates of our children, who we certainly know are not replaceable yet we continue to spin them and sometimes at a fast speed. Their view of the world is being shaped by what they see us doing. They will think this is normal. We know that this is not because we remember when it wasn't so.

                We are WISER that this. We read blogs, we watch videos, we share things with each other and we know that with this wisdom brings awareness. We know that time is finite and we only have so much of it. Yet we continue to be drawn into doing more, being more, and having more.  Instead we need to focus on doing less, being content, and having enough. 

                 So tonight, my fellow wonder women, put down the lassos. Pour a cup of tea or wine, or just put your feet up. Breath deeply and know that life will go on if you put down a couple of those plates you have been spinning for so long. People will get over it and you will realize that it really is nicer to not feel so off kilter all the time.  It is Physics friends, and because you are wise you know this. 

               You are enough.

               You have enough.

               New beginnings will happen tomorrow. 

               Be still enough to notice them because they are the seeds of all your tomorrows just taking root.