We have a therapy module at work related to relaxation and stress management, but it is really about the cycles of life. It makes the point that when we have a down cycle, we can rest assured that this can change, and we can have an up cycle. This may happen automatically, but we can impact this by making some positive change, changing the things we do that are influencing the down cycle to stop it and make it an up cycle.
When you think about it, the seasons of the year are about that. Spring is an up cycle that occurs after the dormancy cycle of winter. Spring becomes a time of renewal and refreshing, with plants blooming, and birds and animals giving birth to a new generation.
Many humans also refresh at this time of year. We may start the year with new year's resolutions that so often do not last but a few days or weeks at the most. For Christians, we then have the structured opportunity, at Lent, to start afresh with a time of change and renewal: we can choose, of course, at any time, to start anew, but Lent gives a time, supported in a religious context to make a sacrifice for the veneration of the Lord. Sometimes a sacrifice or commitment to a greater good makes it all that much easier for us to keep that commitment. Public acknowledgement of the commitment also provides us with additional impetus, as so many of us have such a strong desire not to fail in public, not to "lose face." Additionally, the support from a group (religious or otherwise) is known to help us to continue on a difficult course. So Lent becomes our dormancy period during which we maintain our sacrificial commitment, in preparation for renewal.
Like so many of the Christian festivals, Easter is borrowed from or coincided with non-Christian rites of passage celebrating the renewal of the year. The religious context also provides us with an opportunity to renew our religious commitments. But it seems to be a basic part of humanity to celebrate the passages of time and give thanks for the changes we acknowledge with those passages.
If you have reached Easter keeping your commitment to a renewal plan, congratulations! It may have been easy or difficult, but the point is you kept your commitment.
If you reached Easter but did not keep your commitment on the way, all is not lost. We can be resilient, and make commitments to ourselves and others anytime along the way of life.
The thing about cycles, is that they do not require a change in season for the cycle to change. All it requires is a change in ourselves. Sometimes, it only requires a small change. And, let's face it, small changes are much easier to accomplish than are large ones. And, small changes can provide a foundation: Upon each small but successful change, we can add another, until we reach the larger goal.
Life is a series of changes. At some point in time, some of us are fortunate enough to learn that instead of floating along with day to day living, we can take control of our lives, and be responsible for the direction we are traveling. The Gandhi quote "You must be the change you want to see in the world" is a succinct admonition leading us to this knowledge.
When better to be this change, but in Spring, during the time of renewal, after our time of dormancy, when we are poised and prepared?
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