Savor the First Signs of Spring

I was walking through my still blustery neighborhood a few weeks back and saw the first tiny green shoots poking up through the dirt in a neighbor's tiny garden. I felt like I could finally exhale - Sure there were still a few weeks until spring showed up, but those hardy little stalks proved to me that I'd made it through another tough winter.

Winter can be a mixed blessing. For those of us living in the northeast, it means a few months of serious hibernation or hoped for escape to warmer climes. But along with the deep freeze comes a time to recharge and simply be. Catching up on reading, snuggling up with a loved one, or cooking up nourishing foods to warm the heart and hearth respectively, can become major accomplishments when it's too cold to do much else. And then slowly, springtime.

Before you go falling headfirst into the next season, take a few moments to appreciate the here and now. What is it about the sense of renewal that this season brings with it? What are your great big plans and hopes for the warmer months ahead? Be it gardening, exercise or simply amped up socializing, try to take a moment to find the gratitude within that got you from the cold, dark places in life to the ones filled with warmth and renewal.

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