Signs of Spring

Dear Reader,

Here in East Texas, we had a bit of fall weather, followed by a bit of winter weather—the temperatures fell below freezing long enough that we covered pipes and plants. And now, I’m seeing little signs of spring. A tiny hyacinth bloom. Some white-flowering shrubs along a highway. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw some bits of purple on a redbud tree.

And, of course there are babies. In my case, twin grand-babies. And some of my favorite fiber folks are starting to talk about lambing. And today, a clear blue sky and the warmth of sunshine.

Reminders of new beginnings. One of the things I’ve noticed is that if we’re on the planet long enough—and perhaps not even so very long—we have experiences that give us pause. A child falls and gets back up. You get a cold or virus and forget what it feels like to be well.

Hang around long enough and there’s bound to be an experience that shakes up your snow globe, your sense of how the world is. If you pay attention, you might notice that it also shakes up your sense of yourself, your self-image.

We move along in life using our unique set of characteristics and abilities. We mostly don’t even have to think about how we do what we do. We just do it. When life shakes us up, some of the old skills and talents either stop working or don’t work under the new circumstances.

What do we do then? Perhaps we work harder, push through, persevere. Sometimes that works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Then what?

Then, we can start to pay attention to how we do what we do. How do I move this foot forward? How do I respond to that situation? How could I manage more easily? How did I manage problems in the past? What made it work, or not work?

It’s not always easy, but life gives us amazing opportunities to learn more about ourselves and the world. We can begin to appreciate what’s no longer possible—at least through the same old mechanisms—and explore new, richer ways of being in the world. Usually there’s a period that Jungians call liminal spaces. Not like the old ways, but not yet clear what the new ways might be.

If you can settle into that liminal space, bring curiosity and creativity, you might just find a richer, more gracious world.

If your snow globe has been shaken up and you’re looking for new possibilities, here are some ways that we can explore together.

Our weekly online Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lesson is on Tuesdays at 11:30 am (Central Time) and it’s still Free/Pay as You Wish.

For an in-person experience, I’m offering Lift Your Heart: A Feldenkrais Mini-Retreat on Saturday afternoon, February 28, at the Jung Center of Houston.

If you’d like to work with me privately, in person or online—Feldenkrais, coaching or felt-making—you can Book an Appointment or reply to this email and let me know what you’re interested in.