Time comes and goes so quickly. Often it is difficult to capture the significance of the present because it quickly becomes the past. A short time ago, the Easter long weekend was something to look forward to and now its in the rearview mirror. No matter what your weekend consisted of, I believe that there is still an opportunity to glance back in order to better move forward in the driver’s seat of your life.
Let’s begin by reflecting on the holiday itself. Many people wonder why the date of the Easter holiday changes year to year, do you? Easter falls the first full moon after the vernal equinox which marks the first day of spring. If the equinox falls on a Sunday, then Easter will be celebrated the following Sunday.
So the Easter date changes due to annual differences in moon cycles. The moon represents the female energy. The full moon is symbolic of pregnancy and the fullness of life. Whether your Easter celebrates spring’s first full moon, Jesus, rabbits, eggs or the arrival of the spring season, your celebration marks a time of birth and new beginnings.
In the Christian tradition, Easter recognizes the resurrection of Christ and the beginning of eternal life for all. Eggs, of course, are symbols of new life. Spring signifies growth and the conveyor of those uniquely coloured eggs, the infamous Easter Bunny, is an ambassador of fertility.
What would you like to begin? The season is ripe for birthing new ideas and ways of being. What is it that you want to commit to? Bringing together fertility and birth, is there one seed behaviour that will generate many fruits. Perhaps planting yourself in a regular meditation practice will create greater calm, altering the way in which you meet every moment. You may have a desire to begin a journalling practice but somehow your pen never reaches the paper. Begin now. Taking time to write daily may help clear your mind, produce better sleep, result in more patience and quality interactions with those you encounter. Experiment. Start something and see how it grows.
The key is practice. A seed won’t thrive in a poor environment. It needs fertile earth, the right amount of water, sunshine, fresh air and space to grow. The same is true of your seed behaviour. You have to garden it. What you practice grows stronger. This begs the question, what are you practicing? Every thought and feeling are fuelling choices that result in the reality of your life. Are you so busy looking forward trying to avoid a collision that you fail to look back and see how you got here. This is the power of reflection. It is a moment taken to connect our past to our future.
Reflection may be the most valuable tool in building a satisfying life. It allows you to review the effectiveness of your performance and close the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Without looking at how we behaved in the past, we just carry on doing the same things that we have always done and wonder why we never accomplish our dreams.
The first question then is, do you know where you want to go? Knowing where you want to go is a critical step in determining if you’re taking the best steps to get there. Every step is sacred. Every action you take is creating a result that is either moving you toward or away from your desire.
Get a grip on the wheel of your life. You don’t have to know where your whole life is headed. Decide on the route to Thanksgiving. Commit to 220 days of conscious driving. What do you feel will bring more satisfaction into your life and make you feel grateful to get out of bed everyday? Start there. Hatch a plan and nurture it with practical action. Where you look is where you go. Create a vision in the windshield of your mind and steer.