My Winter Cocoon
Spring Overtakes Winter
It was a long Winter for me. Not so much a bad one as much as a time to wrap myself into a warm, cozy, safe cocoon. It’s a point in my life where I needed to pull back from the outside world, as much as responsibility allowed, and focus on just being in the moment with the simplest tasks. I cut back on the errands that seemed to be required so often. By economizing my trips out by planning ahead what “needed” to be done and organizing my routes, I was able to cut down on the days where I would normally be running about. Especially where one thing tends to lead to another without a plan! My fuel consumption has also been reduced.
The social commitments were prioritized and I chose the ones of those closest to me. E-mail works wonders to keep in touch with the rest. My precious other half began to sense where I was and began to synchronize his time with mine. More time was spent together working on household tasks and projects. The bonus was finding out that my handy man and this girly-girl can actually work together and accomplish a goal! Taking turns in the making of dinners has allowed us to share our own particular dishes and making more together time, in the kitchen.
I rediscovered the pleasure of folding a load of clothes with attentive care to my task and appreciating the finished fresh, clean organized piles of my effort. I practiced, mindfully, clearing my mind of chatter and just observed myself functioning. When I was done, I felt peaceful and balanced; ready to move on to my next mission. The same for the routine of washing the dishes and putting away the last clean glass, etc. Other times I would allow myself to focus on how to deal with whatever I might need to plan. My focus then is to stay on that one subject. Other times I might take a wander thru the alleys and meadows of the mind and surprise myself with interesting destinations.
I am a major procrastinator. I set about addressing that with looking at my list of to do’s and tackling the most difficult or unappealing ones first with my conscious mindful practice in play. The dividend at the end was not having them hanging over my head with certain dread in the back of my mind because I dealt with them first.
Although I enjoy getting lost on the web in reading the many things offered in so many places, I have set aside for too long my enjoyment of a good book. My trips to the library became a special time for myself in perusing the shelves and watching for the books that seemed to jump out at me. I would take them home and look them over closer with a feeling I had discovered special treasures. There is a certain satisfaction in reading a book from cover to cover written by one mind. This is as opposed to the type of reading online that tends to be snippets from different authors.
What I have been left with is the idea that now I have plenty more room to begin to expand myself once again. It’s time to use what I have learned and put my energy into growth. I know I am capable of attaining and sitting in the comfort of the peaceful center of my soul whenever I choose to do so when things become too overwhelming. Over the Winter, I dabbled a little or just enough in things that interest me, however, now projects lay waiting, patiently, for me to pick them back up again. There is a renewed fresh sense of creativity beginning to bubble gently from my depths at the thought of what I might do with them. I have been left with a The Universe is telling me I am ready. I feel ready for change, where it might take me, curiosity about what I might learn about my capabilities and what I might produce.
During this time in my “cocoon” sometimes I found myself wondering if maybe I was being too self indulgent, sort of like I was hiding out. But as the Spring unfolded in blossoms and fresh shoots onto the trees, brush and flowers, I have been feeling the same deep inside myself. The road signs are bright and bold in my soul. I had asked my spirit guides for guidance months ago and was actually listening this time. A caterpillar enters its brown sheath and from the outside it appears nothing is going on inside. But on the inside is a total amazing breaking down before it evolves into a butterfly. Sometimes on the spiritual path it’s necessary to come to a peaceful halt on the outside and indulge in the process of a re-birth on the inside. Reaching out from the soul to the loving powers of the universe and listening through meditation and mindful everyday actions has proven to be a powerful tonic in my own growth. I created my own “retreat”.
I have been revitalized by the “new age” self help and biographies. The occasional non-fiction books are a wonderful way to step out of one’s own life and dwell in fantasy and imagination. It has also sparked my ongoing desire to do my own writing.
Recently, new opportunities have been presenting themselves to me and I am optimistic as to my ability to handle them now.
I wish you much enlightenment and growth on your own paths as the re-birth of Spring takes you into the warm sunny Summer months.
