It’s a song that celebrates the passage of time and the seasons that come and go.
If you enjoy classic folk rock like I do, you’ll be familiar with Simon & Garfunkel’s “Turn, Turn, Turn”. Lots of other artists and bands have covered it too but Paul and Art’s version is my favorite. It’s a song that celebrates the passage of time and the seasons that come and go. Taken right out of the bible (the book of Ecclesiastes to be specific), the lyrics invite you to be present to the stuff of existence: living, dying, planting, reaping, laughing, crying… you get the point. The overall message is that there’s a time and place for all things, and the only constant is change.
As the weather turns warmer here on the Central Coast, I sense spring in the air.
I’ve been feeling this hard lately. As the weather turns warmer here on the Central Coast, I sense spring in the air. The bountiful poison oak all over the property I live on is also a reminder. It’s been just over a year since my last encounter with the nasty plant. Thankfully I didn’t have to go to the emergency room that time (praise the medical gods for prednisone). It was also just over year ago that the word “quarantine” become part of our daily lingo. A whole year of Covid-19 and we’re still not out of the woods yet. And I’m avoiding the woods altogether for obvious rash-inducing reasons.
To every pandemic there is a season…
The end of the pandemic does feel nearer though, as folks get vaccinated and we move from one colored tier to the next (I’m at a loss as to why purple is worse than red? Also purple is my favorite color so I’m bummed it’s the worst tier). To every pandemic there is a season…
If my life was a book, this past year has been punctuated by several short chapters.
With the end of one chapter comes the start of another. Hopefully not another pandemic! If my life was a book, this past year has been punctuated by several short chapters. My 2020 started off with a bang, as I finished my PhD, quit a job and started another at an amazing group psychology practice (I’m looking at you Thrive SLO!) all within the first 2 months of 2020. Then the Covid came and life seemed to be lived even more online than it had before. I am grateful to live on a farm where I am surrounded by nature (plants, animals, poison oak), which serves as a grounding environment for me when the online world starts to swallow me up. Eating veggies from our organic garden was particularly soothing for me last spring and early summer. Then the scorching late summer heat blasted us to dehydrated smithereens as SLO County experienced record-breaking temps. A favorite rabbit perished and the garden withered. To every harvest there is a season…
This spring ends a very long journey on the road to becoming a clinical psychologist as I schedule my CA state exam.
Fall brought with it much excitement and anxiety as I studied my brains out for the national psychology licensing exam. Oh and there was an election that was particularly conducive to nail-biting. I passed my exam on December 5, just in time for my birthday. It was the second to last hurdle to jump before obtaining full
licensure in California. I cried tears of joy and relief when I got my score. This spring ends a very long journey on the road to becoming a clinical psychologist as I schedule my CA state exam. Praise the psychology gods! (And thanks, Dr. Freud. By the way, how’s your mom?) To every licensing exam, there is a season?
On January 25th a part of my soul left my body, manifested as an 8 pound infant.
Lastly, and certainly not least-ly, this year I’ve experienced one of the most life-altering shifts a human can experience. On January 25th a part of my soul left my body, manifested as an 8 pound infant. I am no longer the maiden. Motherhood has both shattered and awakened me. All my self-indulgence has been pushed aside for a tiny perfect being (okay not all my self-indulgence, books and yoga pants have been purchased since the baby came Earthside). My little child is pure consciousness. She reminds me to be present in loving awareness. She challenges me to self-regulate so I can more effectively soothe her. My partner has had to co-regulate both of us more than once, as the sleep deprivation takes its toll and I turn into a mushy-brained crying mess. To every midnight wake up, there is a season…
Nothing ever stays the same.
My point here folks, is that it’s always changing. Nothing ever stays the same. The only certainties are death and taxes. So be here now, witness the changing seasons of your life with compassion and loving awareness, and give me a call if you need a little support. To everything there is a season.
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