Welcome Back, Sunshine!

 

The first week of May turned out to be anything but spring-like. It poured with rain all week, with temperatures way below normal, and a wind that just wouldn't quit. Then last Saturday, as if Mother Nature pulled back a huge, dark curtain, we woke up to sunshine, blue skies, and the greenest greens I've ever seen. My first inclination was to start pulling my plants out from under the grow lights on my tabletop garden and put them on the windowsill so they could soak in the natural light they deserved. Since then we've had sunshine and more seasonal temperatures every day, and my plants have been soaking it up big time. I swear my wax begonias have grown several inches in just a week, and the plant I thought had died started sending up tiny new shoots. Thank you, Mother Nature!

So often in our lives we have what seems like a never-ending series of setbacks, a run of bad luck, with no light at the end of the tunnel that we can see: "Will I ever feel better? Will the pain ever end? Will I ever be able to move forward with my dreams?" Even getting out of bed feels like a major effort. Then, one day, we wake up and the sun is shinning. It could be literal sunshine just like the other day, or it could finally be a step forward: the pain is gone, life looks better, hope starts calling our name again. Wayne Dyer, one of my greatest teachers of all time, was fond of sharing this Native American quote:

        "Even in nature, no storm lasts forever."

Just like my plants who thrived once they were in natural sunlight, my newly replaced knee felt better - not completely healed, but better. I started thinking about wanting to get out and start walking in the sunshine instead of inside a mall. I tore apart my tiny abode and started re-arranging furniture. Someone came up to me unexpectedly and asked me when my next book was coming out so they could read it because they had enjoyed the first one. The rain was gone ... on the outside and on the inside as well. Like my plants, I felt the need to stretch my leaves and reach for the sun.

Now, let's be reasonable. The rain will return as it always does, but we don't have to return to the dark thoughts and feelings. Know in your heart and mind that the sun will eventually return, and that you will be able to move forward. It just takes patience and faith ... just like Mother Nature shows us every day.

And so it is.