In the Northern Hemisphere, the first day of spring this year, the spring equinox, was March 20, 2023. However, regardless of having had to Google that, for me, spring feels like it starts in April. Always has, and probably always will.
Maybe it has something to do with watching my friends living in the northern part of the United States begin to thaw from their long winters (just one more perk of living in sunny South Florida). Or maybe it’s because the decor in our stores is full of flowers, pastel colors, and marshmallow Peeps that span our grocery aisles for as far as the eye can see. (Love them or hate them, the eternal debate will rage long past their non-existent expiration date. I’m an ardent lover, by the way.)
Spring and April feel like a time of renewal. A time to express gratitude and an opportunity to take a fresh perspective on something you’ve been doing the same way for some time.
My family celebrates the religious holiday of Easter; it happens to fall this coming Sunday. The 40-day period of time preceding is called Lent. Traditionally this period of time has been marked by abstaining from meat on Fridays and “giving up” something you might miss in your daily routine, such as sugar, caffeine, social media, Netflix, etc…However, “giving up” doesn’t feel as refreshing and renewing as “adding in” does.
This year my 9-year-old and I decided to take a fresh perspective on a traditional practice. Instead of giving something up (primarily because coffee and Pokémon Hunting were, respectively, off the table from the start), we decided to add in the practice of actively seeking out one person each day to “make their day” – every day. We held each other accountable each night by recounting the event and tracking our success with stars on our refrigerator calendar. We weren’t 40 for 40, but that’s okay. We were 100% better than we would have been had we not chosen to take a new perspective on one of our old practices.
What practice have you had in place for some time now that could use a new perspective?
Is there someone you would like to seek out today and make their day?
What “add-in” will you give a try and WHO can be your accountability partner in the process? (Accountability was key for us!)
So often we wish to remove things from our lives – workload, calendar invites, meetings, functions you’d rather not attend – all totally viable, and when successfully done, feel great to us.
Sometimes it’s the add-ins that make feeling great, great to us and great to OTHERS.
Ramadan Mubarak.
Chag Pesach Sameach.
Happy Easter.
May April bring renewal to each of you.
