Spring Frenzy

I started to write about Spring Fever because that's what I thought I was experiencing. But a quick trip to my dictionary and quite a bit of contemplation I've shifted my opinion of my symptoms. I think what I had was “Spring Frenzy.” With this clarity, I was more open to this week's insight and lesson.

I've discovered that for most of us in the Northern Hemisphere, Spring Fever has passed. Spring Fever is really that feeling of languor, listlessness, lethargy and yearning brought on by the nearness of spring not yet here. It's itchy and uncomfortable. Now it's April and fever has given way to frenzy. With each day, the pulse of spring breathes new life and makes everything look and feel packed full of possibility. So much possibility we feel we must take action.

A short walk along the creek is enough evidence that I'm not the only one with Spring Frenzy. Most of the wildlife is very busy indeed, emerging from their holes, crevices, and burrows for food and frolic. The creek is raging. The buds are out. The sap is running. The pin oaks are finally dropping their leaves. My jeans are forever mud smudged from cuff to knees. And where is all that dirt under my nails coming from? Daylight is brighter and stretching into evening hours, pushing back the night. I'm urged on to plant, sort and reorganize as busyness blows in on fresh spring breezes. This urge to renew every aspect of my life, and to do it quickly, is Spring Frenzy.

But, what about the renewal of my soul? Just a couple of days ago I saw my first real sign of spring. It was not the stereotypical robin, busily collecting worms and grubs and nest material nor the geese honking and flapping their way north. It was not the squirrels frantically chasing each other around tree trunks. It was not the first blooming crocus or a long ice float cracking and breaking away on the frozen lake. Here in Northern Michigan, I officially mark the coming of spring when I see my first group of men leaning on the bed of a pickup truck parked in the sun. I spotted this rare ritual not far from my home on my way to the grocery store. It was such an uplifting sight that I opted to take the same route home, hoping for a second glimpse. And there they still were. One more had joined the tribe but none had left. And all were pretty much holding the same stance and the same territory of the truck bed that they had assumed when I had driven by a good 45 minutes earlier. I’ll probably never be totally privy to the dynamics of this ritual. In my imagination, these are men, young and old, inspired by spring to make promises that deep down they know they cannot keep and tell stories they know they cannot live up to. If you know differently, please keep it to yourself. It doesn't really matter. My heart always breaks wide open at this sight, knowing that spring is officially here. I can learn from the “pickup guys.”

Prior to the sighting, my frenzy was making me desperate to force myself to live rightly, become fit and healthy, and make lasting changes in myself, my home and my life. After the sighting, I understand I was experiencing Spring Frenzy, that temporary lapse of sanity where getting things done and putting all in order is the only priority. I was gently reminded by the pickup guys to catch myself before I plunged headfirst into so much activity I actually missed spring. I remember now, that renewal of soul is what I’d been wanting from spring. And that too much activity can cause me to lose balance and the ability to relish and savor.

So this Spring, my only to-do list has become this: throw away all other to-do lists; put the hammock up now; sit in a warm patch of sun often; notice; focus only on the activity at hand, not the destination; and, find a pickup truck bed to lean on.

"Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself." ~A Zen proverb

The Lost Is Found

I've been lost twice in the last week. Yup, one day I got in the car thinking I knew where I was going and I proved myself wrong. On another day, I decided to take the dogs for a walk in an area I'm not very familiar with and I got all turned around. I came out far away from where I thought I was and far away from the car.

I have a bit of a reputation for this. Friends are often hesitant to ride or walk with me. I wander and I explore and I experiment. And I allow myself to be distracted by the new environment. And so while I'm very immersed in the present, all that is new around me, I lose track of the past (where I came from) and the future (where I think I'm going).

So I rather like getting lost. When I'm at home in Northern Michigan, getting lost means I keep walking or driving until I find a two-track that leads somewhere. In Northern Ontario, where I visit often to fish or paddle, I can easily be lost for a whole day or more.

Getting good and lost means I must relinquish all attempts at being in control of my situation and any need to know where I am, where I might be going and what it will take to get back to where I began. In this state, nothing matters but my current surroundings and I am more fully able to immerse myself in those surroundings and let go of what has been and what is to come. “Lost” becomes and attitude that breaks any psychological barriers. And my body responds to that attitude.

There are some cultures, mostly island cultures, which simply don't have a word for the experience of being lost. But for those of use who do “know” lost, there's an attitude shift to work through. So here it is. The price we pay for the freedom of being lost is to be vulnerable. The gift we receive from the freedom of being lost is new, unexpected and random things like unforeseen circumstance, interesting people, and odd surroundings. It stimulates us. If we pay the price of vulnerability, we can let go of being threatened simply because we are lost.  We learn to not waste our energy panicking about the direction we should take.

Current theory from the mathematics of quantum physics indicates that we should be able to remember the future as easily as we remember the past. This theory helps me understand that getting lost is not really lost in the traditional sense; it's lost with the knowing that the future will find me.

“Don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” ~Diane Ackerman

March Thaw

I'm so glad March is here in Northern Michigan. Just a few short weeks ago, it was so very cold the trees were cracking loud enough to sound like gun shots. The creek was running like Jell-O and the snow crunched loudly with every step  Now, the light has changed. It has more color. My outdoor surroundings are coming alive. Down in the swamp by the creek, things are bubbling to the surface as gas and scum make their way to the top of the snow cover. The creek itself is flowing strong. And I'm starting to see critters down by the creek who have not poked their noses out of their burrows, holes and covers in several months, enjoying the break in the weather and getting out to do a little eating, housekeeping and visiting with neighbors. When I stop to fill up the Jeep I no longer hunker at the pump as icy winds blow across the parking lot. And there is no waiting for all the snowmobilers to move away from the pump. Ah, the simple things in life are so wonderful.

Strike A Pose

Welcome to the New Year! We're finally having beautiful sunny January days here in Northern Michigan. December is often pretty cloudy and dreary. But with the colder temperatures of January comes sunshine! We've had three days in a row of sunshine and I'm celebrating. The dogs and I have a whole new winter attitude.

We're full swing into the New Year. How are your goals and resolutions? You know I frown on New Year's resolutions. But attitude, now that's something I can embrace!

February 9, 2005 is the first day of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rooster.

2004 was the Chinese year of the Monkey. And my January 2004 post  encouraged some playful Monkey Business. It was fun to write that post so I was looking forward to writing about the 2005 Chinese New Year. But when I discovered it was the Year of The Rooster, I was initially a bit stuck. However, over the years, I have actually had quite a few chickens. And one of my favorites was a big bad rooster given to me by my friend, Susan. His name was Roo. So I started pondering Roo. And the one thing I can definitely say Roo had was Attitude, a magnificent, marvelous and obsessive attitude! So let's talk about Attitude in the Year of the Rooster.

Just because our parents often told us to “Drop the Attitude,” when we were children does not make Attitude a bad thing. In fact, one of the keys of success is Attitude. I’d dare say it's all Attitude. Attitude breaks down fear, the one emotion that most often causes us to procrastinate. Take on the attitude, and suddenly the fear and indecision are under our control, allowing us to forget the old, reach for the new, and perform the task at hand.

Here's my dictionary's definition of Attitude: 

A manner or disposition, feeling, position, etc. with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, esp. of the mind.

Position or posture or pose of the body appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc.

The thing I like about the definition is that it includes the mind (the way we think) the body (the way we move and hold ourselves) and the emotions (the way we feel). And most of you know I like to access my strengths through my body. The mind sometimes confuses me with its constant analyzing of the situation. So I'm suggesting you Strike a Pose, your New Year Attitude Pose, let your emotions kick in, and let the mind follow. Use your pose to accomplish the task at hand.

Don't know what your pose is? Well, you can borrow one from yoga. I'm especially fond of The Warrior. Or, better yet, ask a bud. He or she will likely be able to tell you the pose you most often take on before strong action.

With an Attitude, anyone can achieve great things. Attitude gives you all the power you will ever need. Feed your attitude. Then, just like Roo, you have a Magnificent and Marvelous Obsession!

Strike the pose, call up your Attitude in an instant and follow it. Soon it will become second nature.

"I finally figured out the only reason to be alive is to enjoy it." ~ Rita Mae Brown

Awareness

The seasonal change between last month and this one has been dramatic. Yes, I know it's not yet officially winter. But there has been snow on the ground for days and I just spent 2 hours moving snow off the drive. So my season of winter has begun. I enjoy December. It's my month to do little. Oh, I coach a little, move some snow, and get just a few things done around the house. But about the time Thanksgiving rolls around, things seem to slow down for me. I walk every day, read a lot, and spend some time thinking about where I'm going fishing next year. That's about it.

Awareness is powerful. The more we are aware and connected with our surroundings and ourselves, the more insights come our way. But too often we think we need to do something with those insights, subjecting ourselves to lots of stimulation and activities.

There's a big difference between doing more and simply allowing ourselves to be aware of more. When I choose to be more aware and then feel I must do something about or with my insights, I become over-stimulated and distracted. When I choose to be more aware without any attachment to what I might do with or about that awareness, I'm more peaceful and feel more connected.

So how do you become more aware without attachment? How do you increase your awareness without increasing the activity that awareness often spawns?

There is nothing to do, really. Start by increasing your awareness in nature. There's little you can do with nature so it's easier to take a hands-off approach. If you become more aware of the birds in your yard, don't add buying a bird feeder to your to-do list. Just enjoy those birds in their natural environment. If your awareness leads you to enjoy a particular tree in your yard that you've never really “seen” before, it does not mean you need to landscape your yard to call attention to that tree. If your awareness leads to an insight about yourself that you like or dislike, don't run to the bookstore to buy all the self-help books you can find on the topic in order to overcome a perceived weakness or hone a perceived strength.

Awareness itself is the gift. What you do with it does not matter. Once you've experienced the awareness about yourself or another or something in nature, trust that that awareness is not going away. That's the very cool thing about awareness. You can't take it back. But if you try to act on everything, you are likely to take on too much which will lead to wanting to shut down your awareness.

So let go of trying to label or judge that which you have become aware of as good or bad, something to be improved on, something to be changed, something that needs to be leveraged, etc. It's none of these. It just is.

The awareness itself will lead to changes. But these changes will come to you rather than you having to “make” the changes or do something. The Universe is conspiring every moment of every day to bring you what you desire. Let the Universe do the doing. You, my friend, just need to be. Be, that is, in a way that is fully awake.

“Awareness needs space in order to be experienced.” ~Thomas Leonard