Springing into Happiness

All week in yoga I was reminded that we are heading into Spring, that the weather is transitioning (or should be soon anyway) and that we too can look at this time to transition.  There is that word again that has become all too familiar to me: TRANSITION!  I have said that I am ready to be transitioned, but was I really?  Or as we move out of the darkness of winter and into the light of spring, maybe now is the time.  The winter is a time to go within, a time to plant the seeds that will bloom in the springtime.  I entered the darkness, I went deep into the dark and am slowly emerging into the light.  My transition is in sync with that of nature.  I have planted the seeds, both personally and professionally, and am slowly seeing these seeds that I have nurtured slowly emerging into something beautiful.  I can share the physical representation of this with pictures of an Amaryllis I planted in early January (the depths of winter) and here we are a few months later and it is starting to bloom nicely and if I had to make a guess I would say I will have a flower by the first day of summer.

I call him Bert

This week was also the First ever International Day of Happiness as declared by the UN.

Both the Spring Equinox and this Day happened to be March 20.  I signed a pledge on that day to "Try to create more happiness in the world around me." And I shared with anyone I could what this day was about.  I would also think that it is appropriate that this Day of Happiness fell on the Spring Equinox.  I would say that happiness and light, joy and growth represent both of these "events".   On this same day, Wednesday March 20, at the workshop I have been participating in about Finding your purpose and calling, we focused on strengths and 'innate gifts.'  In one activity "Bringing Joy" emerged as one of my strengths and when I went to rank it on the bottom of my list I was encouraged to make it one of my top 5 by someone I have only known for just a few weeks.  In just our brief interactions she saw something in me that I had a hard time seeing myself.  Something that I do naturally yet apparently have a hard time acknowledging that it is something I can do well.

So here I was on the Spring Equinox, the threshold to light and joy, and the International Day of Happiness and I was being affirmed in my innate gift of bringing joy.  It feels almost cocky boasting that here, however, if I am going to be able to fully transition to what is right, to what I want and need, I must own and affirm my own strengths.  Also, if I am going to be successful in any sort of interview process I must be comfortable speaking about the thing that are my strengths, what I do well and the places where I can be most successful.  And I guess bringing joy to others is not a bad thing to be boasting about!

"Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!"  ~Sitting Bull