Monday, April 22, 2024

Nature. And Adjusting To The Ever-Changing Movement of Life

Life -

Lately, I've been reflecting on my life and realizing just how blessed I am for all the different paths I've traveled, all the experiences (both wonderful and extremely challenging) I've had, and realizing how each one of those things was part of making me the person I needed to be right at this moment, here and now.

One of the most important things I've learned about life is that it is a continuous process of adjustment. Just when you get to a point where things seem to be exactly how you want them, life comes along and changes them so that you have to adjust again. And then again. And again.

When I think back over all the different careers I've had, I see that my career as an actor taught me the most about adjustment because when you choose that path, your sense of certainty is forever challenged. Acting, especially in the theater, leaves you with a feeling of uncertainty every time you step onstage because no matter how well you prepare, things will inevitably change because theater is live. Therefore, anything can happen. Just like life.

Nature -

And just like life, nature adjusts with each passing season; symbolizing the changes that, we, as humans, all go through.

I find nature to be the greatest teacher of life.

It reveals to us that life is a continuous movement. At times it appears to accelerate and at other times slow. Change is synonymous with movement.

-Spring: a time of phenomenal renewal. The earth reawakens from her slumber and explodes with new life. Spring is symbolic of starting new projects, sewing new seeds, and coming forth with new ideas.

-Summer: a time of light, joviality, expression, and wholehearted action. To be sure, this season is symbolic of the vitality inherent within every heart.

-Autumn: a time of transition, taking stock of all the bounty and provision we’ve been afforded. A time for itemizing our blessings and recounting our joys.

-Winter: a time of introversion, contemplation, and going within. Winter invites us to quiet the mind, still the soul, and crystallize our inner workings; gaining purity and clarification.

For me, spending time with nature is paramount because not only does it ground me, but it also clears my mind, and strengthens my body.

Living in a city, with all its over-stimulation, spending time in nature is essential to achieve a balance. Particularly now, with all the negative energy, crime, and violence encompassing this city, I find nature an energetic healing salve. So, needless to say, I spend a great deal of my free time in our parks.

This past Sunday, I grabbed myself an Americano at a new coffee shop in Old City and then walked to several of my favorite small parks that are tucked away on side streets.

After spending time in nature, I come away feeling much more at ease with the things that make me feel stressed and out of control. Nature gives me the perception to notice all the good and beautiful things in life, which makes the stressful things dissipate.

By the end of my afternoon on Sunday, I felt renewed.

Sharing Spring -

Once again (and I promise this will be my last spring flower post until next year), I would like to share some photographs I took that day. I can't help myself, spring and autumn are the two most colorful seasons, which I can't seem to get enough of. Sadly, they are the two quickest seasons, so I always feel an urgency to get outside a lot and try to capture the exquisite color before it all fades.

Please enjoy my final springtime entry. Hopefully, it will make you realize just how much beauty there is in this world.

Enjoy...