Thank goodness that Day Light Savings Time has finally arrived and spring quickly followed (officially on the calendar) a week later on March 20th. Who knows what the weather will be like when you read this? Whether rain or sunshine, we have no control over it, let it be.
There is something special about having a change in seasons. It seems to help us move forward in life whether good things or bad things happened beforehand. Warmer temperatures happen, longer daylight hours occur, buds and flowers come to be, and perhaps even better moods are experienced just because of a change of seasons. The power of nature reconnects us with some of our routines that were lost in the previous season(s). We get excited about Philadelphia’s baseball team, having meaningful family gatherings at Easter and Passover, gardening or tending to the earth, and going outside to just sit in the sun. Nature just does its thing!
As seasons change so comes personal reflection. Please take a moment and focus upon the positive effects that nature has upon you. Let the positive aspects of nature affect your attitude and influence your mood and behavior. Work at developing positive thinking and transform it into positive reinforcement of others. Get outside of ourselves and become more other oriented. This can be done by complimenting someone, smiling and saying hello, being polite, helping others, and demonstrating acts of kindness and thoughtfulness. In closing, wishing you all a great spring season!
Gary Kozick, LCSW
Originally appeared in the Arbor Terrace: A Senior Living Residence monthly newsletter, April 2011)