Spring – A Lesson of Transition
Every year, without fail, winter yields to spring. The earth comes alive—tree buds emerge, flowers push through the soil, and birds ready their nests. Nature effortlessly follows the cycle of life.
For many of us, spring symbolizes a return to life. If you find yourself slowing down during the winter, you might notice your energy starting to surface again. This resurgence often coincides with the first warm, sunny day that smells of spring, igniting a desire to be outdoors.
However, especially in northern regions, we cannot always expect spring to make its full appearance by March or April. Weather patterns can be unpredictable, much like life itself. Yet, there is always hope on the horizon.
Life’s Pattern
One thing I know for sure is that life follows a predictable pattern. Life is change, always in motion. If you really think about it, we exist in a perpetual state of transition. Even if you follow a strict daily routine, no two days are exactly alike, and neither are we.
Human survival has hinged on our ability to adapt to changing environments. Preparing for transitions can make them more manageable. However, we are often faced with changes to our circumstances that come quickly.
An unexpected diagnosis, for example, can turn your life upside down. One moment, your life is one way, and the next, it is completely different.
Initially, the shock might leave us numb, regardless of whether we’ve had time to prepare. “It took him two years to die quickly,” I said to my mom when her husband died of cancer.
The end of a journey, such as a prolonged illness, can feel sudden, leaving us in a state of shock or denial. In the aftermath, we may busy ourselves with what comes next, distancing ourselves from the necessary emotional healing work. When we finally confront our feelings, they may include a sense of longing or yearning.
According to the Grief Recovery Handbook, grief and transition often lead to a period of reflection, where we ponder—what could I have done differently? Different, better, more.
Wanting to go backwards, back into a time that was predictable (even if it was not awesome), is a natural longing. Our nervous system likes it when things are predictable.
Changing Seasons
Change is inevitable, leading us to the phase of readjustment. We often straddle the line between disorganization and reorganization. Just as spring cleaning involves clearing away the remnants of past seasons, life transitions require us to address and process emotional debris from the season past.
Life’s predictable changes—job transitions, moving, kids going off to kindergarten or university—still need our emotional attention. Even if we are ready, there may still be emotional work to do.
Similarly, unpredictable events like health diagnoses or personal losses catch us off-guard and require significant emotional engagement.
Myth of The Skeleton Woman
The story of the Skeleton Woman, as recounted in "Women Who Run with the Wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, illustrates the essence of transition.
The story begins with a woman thrown into the river and drowned. The fish nibble away at her until she is nothing but a skeleton—colleagues or children constantly asking questions, increasing expectations at work or home, and rising costs that make daily living harder than it needs to be. The sense of self, nibbled away by everyday living.
Finally, the woman gets hooked by a fisherman. He lives in a small house and travels in a small boat—a perfectly controlled world. At first, he believes he has the catch of a lifetime.
When he sees the skeleton, he begins to run. As he runs, she chases him. The faster he runs, the faster she runs behind him. He does not realize that the skeleton is caught in his net—he is dragging her along.
The story symbolizes our past traumas. Instead of running from these traumas, the story teaches us the importance of confronting and untangling ourselves from them.
Spring’s Reminders
Spring reminds us that life is cyclical, presenting yearly opportunities for renewal. It encourages us to slow down and untangle ourselves from the scary things that seem to be following us. Trust in the process of healing, it will give birth to something new. I promise.