Seasons

the REST of the week #152

It’s the rest of the week and we can rest—right now, right where we are. Let’s not burden ourselves with the idea that we’ve got to change something first, sit around waiting for something to shift, or (if things are great) try to keep things just as they are.

My sister’s magnolia tree, tapping on the window of the guest room we slept in.

Spring is putting on a fabulous fashion show this year in Seattle. Set to a backdrop of rich forest green, flowering trees and blossoming shrubs line the sidewalks and pose elegantly on front yard carpets.

Yoshino cherry trees wave elegant hands in the breeze, releasing delicate white and pale pink blossoms that carpet the ground around them, while opulent magnolias command attention with their sturdy blossoms on strong arms reaching up and out. The flowering quince explodes in a bold cascade of color—fiery orange-red blooms covering its spiny fingers. And the pansies, daffodils, asters, along with a host of other flowers, ensure that every color of the rainbow is represented in the season’s pageant.

We flew out of Seattle last Monday and I am grateful that the timing of our departure allowed us a momentary immersion into this color infused world—this evidence of rebirth and resurrection.

Such beauty, slipping in through the senses to places deep inside, can almost break your heart—especially when you consider how fleeting spring is. You just want to linger and hold on to the tangible wonder of it all.

But spring is paving the way for summer and the feeling of this moment in this season is something to enjoy—and then to release to the passing of the moment.

Why exert energy on something as futile as arresting time.

We took off from Seattle on Monday afternoon, chasing the sunset and losing ten hours of the week before landing in Beirut, Lebanon around midnight on Tuesday. Everything is new and exciting. People are welcoming, showing us around and kindly answering our questions. The views are gorgeous, food delicious, and experiences unprecedented.

It occurred to me yesterday that all this newness will fade into familiarity over time. This energy and excitement that fuels all kinds of wonderful thoughts and action will settle down as life is shaped by a regular routine. And I felt a twinge of urgency prompting me to consider ways ways I might hang on to the feeling of fresh beginning.

Thankfully, I perceived the quiet invitation to rest—to absorb the joy of this season rather than trying to milk it for motivation, to distract myself by turning this enjoyment into a job.

May you find rest in your season and may your rest be sweet.

Alicia