Spring is a time for new life and new beginnings — a time to start over. After one of the coldest and snowiest winters in some areas, most people are ready for spring.
Time sure does fly, which reminds me of this quote from Woman’s Home Companion,December 1935:
“Year by year the complexities of this spinning world grow more and more bewildering, and so each year we need all the more to seek peace and comfort in the joyful simplicities.”
Life was a whirlwind of continuous change and adjustment after high school. Living away from home for the first time and adapting to dorm life posed many challenges, and sometimes the nursing curriculum and financial obligations made me consider becoming a college dropout.
I married halfway through my senior year of college. Although fun, that also brought me more adjustments and stress. Within months, I was graduating from nursing school and starting my new career as a pediatric nurse. And three years later, I was giving birth to my first child, Molly…followed by Abigail and Ben within eight years.
If life was a whirlwind when I was single or a newlywed, the pace only quickened when I was raising three children and chaperoning field trips and birthday parties, taxiing them to dance and music lessons, sports practice, and games. In the midst of this, we moved three times—from Ohio to Florida to North Carolina. As the months and years whizzed by, all I could do was adopt the motto “Constant change is here to stay!”
Now I’m on the verge of being an empty nester… Wow, life is going fast! I am approaching a whole new season, full of its own challenges and adjustments. I will have more free time. I look forward to some part-time work, traveling, being a grandmother, and making an even greater impact on the world.
It’s definitely time for a Reinvention!
I’ve discovered that each season of life has its own trials and joys, disillusionments and lessons, battles and victories. As my head spins to think of how fast these seasons have sped by, some old clichés come to mind. Savor the moment and Take time to smell the roses. Although these are great advice, they seem a little simplistic when your life is moving a thousand miles an hour.
And I’ve always liked this maxim: What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger! During some of my difficult seasons, dying may have seemed easier—but the process truly did make me stronger.
Each new season has a special purpose…a unique blessing. While winter seems to strip the trees of life, it’s actually preparing them for greater fruitfulness in the coming springtime. What looks like death is laying the groundwork for a season of new beginnings.
Life is a journey, and standing stand still is not an option. Through every season, we must choose not just to survive, but to thrive. Let the rebirth and reinvention begin!
Read more from Mary Buchan, RN and Lifestyle Coach on her blog.
Mary Buchan, Lifestyle RN
Mary Buchan RN has over 30 years of health and wellness experience. After helping a wide range of people over the years, she recently repurposed her Nurse’s Cap as a Life Reinvention Coach, Speaker, and Author of the new book <a href="https:// www.amazon.com/author/marybuchan">Over It – How to Live Above Your Circumstances and Beyond Yourself . As a mid-lifer with an empty nest, she blogs about self-discovery, relationships, reinvention, and healthy living. Her motto: Make the rest of your life the best of your life. For more information, visit Mary Buchan's website.
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Susan Bonifant
Friday 21st of March 2014
I very much like the idea that reinvention is an ongoing process, almost helped along by those milestones you mentioned. To think about what we don't know yet, amazes me.