Learning from the Seasons .. The Secret of Staying Young
Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter..
Nature has four meteorological seasons and so do we humans, more or less.
We birth and give birth, we live and grow, we age and die. These are all natural phenomena. As it is with plant life so it is with the human life.
However taking a new look at how we imbibe these concepts in this discussion may enable us to embrace a newness, a rebirth and hopefully a different way of seeing and experiencing the old norms to our advantage.
In the spring of life, everything taps into the spirit of spring, heralding in a new beginning, a renewal, a regrowth, resurrection, and some rejuvenation, all of which I sum up as some “rebirth”.
Take a look at this spring garden for instance, full of life and colour:
Springtime
This could well represent a human; could be you .. could be me, literarily. The question is: how can these lively attributes be or become part of my persona?
It is obvious that the prior hardness of the earth due to the past icy winter has given way to the warmth associated with the tilting of the earth towards the sun.
All ensuing feelings of loneliness and freezing cold are all gone, as things have changed, both for humans as well as in plant life. What a wonder!
New growth is encouraged; a springing forth which none can deny is in the air. Everything blossoms again, radiant and beautiful.
Let us pause for a moment..
And let us also borrow some idea from this concept. A person only needs to learn the art of capturing and retaining “life-warmths” to stay aglow, coupled I believe, with some hardiness to go through life’s journey. That precisely is what I guess the evergreens have mastered.
A plant, or a human in the spring of life always stands out, attracting positive energy.
Guarding against intrusions from “other seasons” especially from the dark and icy winter, serves to prevent contrary invasions from contrary weather. Contrary weather elements rocking the boats of life could be really terrifying; however, prayerful determinations to stay stable and afloat always are good companions to have along life’s journey.
Springtime is followed by summer. Summertime encapsulates the summer of life. In summer, everything brings with it some springiness, coupled with some fair amount of summer life sunshine and radiance. There is some uniqueness about the summery summertime space – all of nature, plant and human benefit.
Take a look at the richness oozing out from this summertime garden below. It’s full of life, colour and vibrance.
Summertime
I call the summery season the season of all potentials. It is a season characterised by the extremes of heat or cool warmth, drought or rain, strong winds or thunderstorms, freedom or restrictions.
Be well informed and prepared, because none has control over extremes of any situations. Fill your summer time with outdoor activities, enjoy old friends, make new ones, enjoy little breaks here and there, go on holidays, replenish and be restored in health and vitality. Bank memories of your summertime. They do come in handy later.
Joyfulness should always be a lifelong companion regardless of the season or circumstances. Whatever the season, maintain your joy! Natural joy!!
Bring out the little child in you always. Everyone has one on the inside. The child in you holds the key to all potentials, possibilities, spontaneity, curiosity and vitality.
My advice: Fill your summertime with whatever you may, but make sure your summery seasons are filled with real long term potentials. For however long drawn the days, the wintery nights though short lived, always feel drawn, longer than they really are. Your summer experiences make up for your winter blues. For soon after summer, autumn starts knocking on your door, ever before you have had the time enough to enjoy the meteorological and the psychological summariness of the summer time. It makes a big difference if you maintain the grip on that child within.
Be warned, autumn makes no official announcement of its coming. It’s just there for all to feel and to see. Characterised in its usual way of nature by dry leaves and all it’s attending physical changes. The long days begin to make their transitions as the nights begin their way in. Day and nighttime temperatures begin to fall. Even plants obey. Everyone begins to feel and observe the changes from a mile. “Autumn” or “Fall”, call it whatever you will, only, please don’t leave the dry leaves there for all to view. Pick them up and away from sight. Maintain your beauty and agility. Let the celebrations of the springtime harvests and the summertime blooms continue deep within. Of all these, memories are made:
Autumn
Autumn has its unique beauty. It opens its doors and lets winter in; or how else can nature remind of the obvious?
The winter of life is actually the gateway to everything that heralds in a renewal and subsequent rebirth, both for plant life and the humans.
Everything lays still and quiet under the icy elements. Not much eloquence, seldom talking, not much visible life. The warmth, the glitz and glamour of summer lay buried within, awaiting the springing forth in newness of another spring life.
No doubt wintertime is the coldest of all the seasons both in plant life as well as in humans. Everything in stillness, and in dark beauty, awaiting the budding newness of life, waiting to burst forth.
Remember always that as the ageing get old, the old are constantly ageing. S/he who can discover the secret of laying hold of the child within, the summer within, never grows old, whatever the seasons of life. Maintain a good grip on the child within. It never therefore matters whatever the season.
If the art of storing memories for quick and easy recall we have well learnt, the secret of which some have discovered, it makes it easier to refuse to bow to these phenomenal contrary seasonal changes. This becomes the season indeed then, when we can begin to reap the fruits of all the “store-aways” of earlier “life warmths”, “springtime harvests” and “summery blooms”.
So, let the cycle continue. Make some deposits or withdrawals whatever you may need, whenever, for the journey along, but never go without.
This is what I refer to as of a human being, the ability to remain “Evergreen” and “Young” and it is the real secret of unlocking youthfulness into life.
Yours truly
-Annie
