I’m not huge on hitching my personhood to seasons, though for those that find this practice helpful, I’m all for it.

Because I can see some of the rhythms in life for myself. The way that Winter does draw me inward and Spring allows for a kind of reckoning, where I feel less heavy with introspection and lighter with potential and possibility.

Growth feels more likely in Spring.

I’m sure if I researched I could find something about how the longer days help with this feeling. Even from an evolutionary standpoint, there are likely reasons we’re connected to a larger, broader tempo. (I couldn’t help myself and did Google and found there is science around seasonal sleeping patterns).

For me, it’s the light. The longer days feel different in both my heart and body. I feel more awake in my life, maybe more capable, though not in the ordinary way I usually use that word. Instead, it’s like I can see possibility more clearly.

I remember how difficult nights were when my son was first born (18 years ago now!). Darkness felt dangerous. When the sun started setting, my anxiety would increase, and I’d begin to fidget and think of all that could go wrong.

In the light, potential problems or issues felt manageable. I didn’t worry the way I did in the dark.

Even today, that’s true. I don’t like rooms that are dark. At home, I leave my shades cracked about a foot so some of the street lamp light can come through my bedroom window. When visiting my parents, where the dark night sky is pinpointed by stars, I leave the shade fully up. On nights where the moon is decently full, her glow pours through and lights half the room with a hazy richness.

Maybe most people prefer the light? Or, perhaps it’s so essential to me because so many things that were horribly life-changing for me happened in darkness.

I always mark my calendar for daylight savings. I love the spring forward, if only for that extra hour. I cherish the thought of the days getting lighter and lighter. Because in those longer days I find my own growth mirrors the awakening happening all around me.

My invitation to you today is to think about what makes you feel full of possibility? Where and in what time do is your own potential bursting?

Then, how can you make the most of that time.

I’d love if you’d share with me.

The Light Links

Photosynthesis (Kind of an amazing use of light).

Is light more important than food?

Polar bear cubs taking their first steps