Here in the mountains of Colorado,
We've had a very long transition into spring this year.
It's almost May and currently it is snowing outside.
But that seasonal transition brings up life transitions.
Our lives are always in flux.
I once had a mentor tell me that we're either going into a new season in the middle of the season or transitioning out of the season.
So being here in this long transition of winter into spring asks us to reflect on what season we are in in our own lives.
If you aren't already,
Go ahead and get comfortable.
You can sit down on the floor in a chair.
You could lay down.
The important thing is to find something that's comfortable for you.
Ideally,
Something where your spine can rest long and neutral.
Wherever you choose to be,
Let yourself settle in.
Let your attention start to rest on your breath,
Your own normal,
Natural.
Let your eyes begin to grow heavy and either rest on a vague point in the distance or if it's comfortable for you,
Let them close all the way down.
And let me tell you a story.
There once was a wise king who had four sons.
To teach them an important lesson on their way to adulthood,
He decided to assign them a task.
They were each to visit a cherry tree in the deep forest of their kingdom.
In the middle of the long,
Cold winter,
The king sent his eldest son first to visit the tree and told him to bring back a description of what he saw.
When the prince returned,
He told the king that the tree was barren,
Old,
And hopeless.
No birds flocked to rest in its branches.
The tree appeared useless.
And,
The prince reported,
It would perhaps be better to simply cut it down and use the wood before it rots.
At the height of spring,
The king sent his second son to visit the tree and bring back a description of what he saw.
The second prince came back and reported that the tree was indeed not barren at all,
But rather full of beautiful cherry blossoms.
The tree,
He said,
Looked young and promising,
Completely surrounded by butterflies and bees,
Taking in the flowers' sweet nectar.
Then,
In the summer,
The king sent his third son to go to see the tree and return with a description.
When the prince returned,
He told the king that there were,
In fact,
No blossoms.
Instead,
The tree was loaded with delicious cherries.
It looked mature and abundant,
With many birds living in the branches and enjoying the fruits.
And finally,
In autumn,
The king asked his youngest son to visit the tree and bring back a description of what he saw.
When the youngest prince returned,
He told the king that the tree was once again barren,
With no fruits or flowers,
As his brothers described.
But instead of the old,
Hopeless tree the first prince had seen in winter,
The tree now looked beautiful,
Its colored leaves lovely shades of gold,
Red and orange.
After this final report,
The wise king asked his sons,
What did you learn from this experience?
While the other three princes thought over the question,
The youngest son readily shared his understanding.
Like the tree,
He said,
We experience different seasons of life and are greatly affected by them.
We should not judge our life based only on the current season we're in,
For every season has a purpose.
And no matter what the current season is,
It will change again.
We've come far enough as a people to understand nature's seasons don't operate on a whim.
They're constant,
Consistent.
We don't wonder what the weather changes,
Why the warmth turns to chill and then snow,
Why the days grow from short to long and then back again.
At least,
We don't wonder in a scientific understanding.
It's not an unexpected shift in our sense of the norm.
In fact,
We not only expect the weather and the seasons to change,
But we've shaped our lives around their orbit.
We've shaped our lives around their orbit.
We plant seeds in their time when we know they will take and the weather will support their nurturing.
In turn,
We know when to harvest,
When the seeds have soaked up all the nourishment they can and are grown,
Ready for plucking.
Just as the youngest prince wisely discerned,
Each of our lives runs through the course of its own seasons.
So as you rest here,
Consider what season of life you are in right now.
Are you in winter?
A hard season?
A season to take time for rest?
A season to prepare for what's to come?
Are you in spring?
A time to plant seeds,
To take risks,
To act on opportunity?
Perhaps you're in summer,
A time to nourish and protect.
Or maybe you're in fall,
A season to reap both success and failure,
Whatever that means for you.
What season of life are you in right now?
What does that season ask of you?
What support does that season require?
Can you simply embrace the season you're in,
Empowering yourself to work with it rather than push against it?
Letting yourself rest in the gifts that each season brings,
The lessons they teach us,
And the growth that we find if we're willing to look.
Continue to rest here as long as you're able,
As long as you like,
Letting yourself reflect on the season you're in at this moment,
Here and now,
Today.
If you need to move on into the rest of your day,
Begin to deepen your breath.
Let that movement of breath bring little movements into your fingers and your toes.
Follow that movement as it rolls up into your wrists and your ankles.
Find bends in your elbows and your knees,
Little movements to bring yourself back into this moment.
Bring both hands to your heart space,
One hand stacked on top of the other.
May you recognize life's seasons,
Lean into their wisdom,
And work with them as you continue forward on your path.
Thank you so much for joining this practice.
