Today is Easter Sunday, that for Christians commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after he was crucified by Romans around 30 A.D. Beyond church services that focus on that event, Easter has a broader popularization as a time of new birth, as we in the Northern Hemisphere are in the season of Spring. In an article in USA Today author Wyatte Grantham-Philips describes how the customs of dying eggs developed out of the practice of fasting from meat--including dairy, during the season of Lent prior to Easter. Once the fast ended, there was a return to consuming eggs, which was later celebrated with the dying of eggs.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/04/09/easter-history-christian-holy-day/11612904002
Everything about this time of year, from celebrating Easter as part of my Christian faith to the blooming world around us, fills me with energy. After what seemed like a long, gray, snowless winter, finally the hues of green, the pops of pink blooms, red and yellow tulips, makes it seem that everything has come back to life. I like this quote by the author, L M Montgomery who wrote Anne of Green Gables (along with many other works):
"That is one good thing about this world,
There are always sure to be more Springs."
Not only the flowers and trees, but the birds are busy building nests, including the Eastern bluebirds that have finally taken residence in my bird house. How exciting it's been to watch the mother and father birds flying in and out, and perching on my patio fence. The male's deep blue color is my favorite and like no other.
While I haven't played tennis in many years, I remember the joy of playing. Thursday evening, I watched the Miami Open with my son, Ross who has gotten into that sport. Watching those players, observing the crowd in their summer clothing for hot south Florida, transported me into this new season, this next quarter of the year. It reminds me that 2024 is moving along and soon it will be summer--vacation season, and for me--August on the Camino.
Yesterday, I did a three hour training, walking with a weighted backpack at the Hunter Street Park. It was the hottest day I've trekked on the asphalt track and beyond to grassy and graveled surfaces. I reminded myself that August along the Portuguese coast and on to Santiago, Spain will be hot-- averaging 82-84 degrees and sometimes in the 90s. Being from the South of the US, the hot and humid weather of central North Carolina in summer, should help me acclimate to the European climate. As I circled the track yesterday, I was reminded that the difference is I don't normally walk for miles in the summer heat for 16 consecutive days. On my Coastal Camino path, we'll walk 16 miles on Day 5 and on Day 6--but then have a respite on Day 7 with just 11 miles 🙂
I've been listening to audio books as I've logged the miles of Camino preparation. After hearing several novels I switched to non-fiction, specifically to Martha Beck's, Finding Your Own North Star. While much of the content is familiar, especially from my course to be a Life Coach, it helps to hear it at a different time in my life. Throughout the book she describes the difference in your Essential Self-- the real you acting on the desires in your heart, and your Social Self--the one that does what's expected.
In exploring the catalytic events that bring people toward their Essential Selves, Beck describes the small action steps or "turtle steps" that move them toward their goals. Those behaviors eventually lead to the realization of dreams that seemed out of reach. She encourages her listeners to be okay with doing things terribly at first---and being okay with that. Letting go of the pride of having to do things well, especially as an adult, is key to people taking the risks to move from the safety of the familiar to unknown territory. I'm sure those players in the Miami Open started out making plenty of mistakes and had games that were embarrassing; they had to persist to become the great players they are today, moving across the court with skill and accuracy.
Now, I want to bask in the dynamic energy that surrounds us--- letting it fill me up. Then, with renewed vigor, I can continue toward realizing my dream of completing my journey on the Camino. What dream, what goal do you have that needs a renewed energy for you to move forward?
I like the hopefulness of this second L M Montgomery quote, in thinking of the rising energy of this season:
"Nothing ever seems Impossible in Spring, you know."
I hope we all feel the renewal of that energy, that is Easter and the unfolding of Spring, to move forward into the second quarter of 2024 and toward the desires of our hearts.
Connie
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