We can learn so much from Mother Nature.  There is what I call the Cycle of Growth.  The seasons can teach us how to tend to ourselves - how to manage the "real estate" of our bodies, minds, and souls.

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Mother Nature and the season of Spring

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Spring is a wonderful season.  We are emerging from the cold of Winter into the season of planting and new growth.  Many will manage and plan for the season of flowers and other plants.  For me it is the start of the vegetable growing season.

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Firstly, I plan for what I will grow this year.  What worked well previously?  What didn’t work well?  What is suited to the growing conditions?  What do I like to eat?  What new vegetables will I try this year?  All of these questions help me to determine what I will grow.

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I purchase the seeds required if I don’t have any from last season.  I plan when and where to sow them, and how many.  Some will be started in a propagator.  Some will be directly sown in the greenhouse, and later some will be directly sown outdoors.

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The seeds and plants will need to be tended – there will be transplanting, thinning, watering and other maintenance required.  Weeds will have to be removed, and the plants may need protection from predators – slugs, white butterflies, and birds.

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If I put in the work and Mother Nature co-operates I will, hopefully, have a flourishing array of vegetables for much of the year and into next year.  Not all seeds and plants will survive, for different reasons.  However, many will be resilient and will flourish. 

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In the end my family will enjoy Mother Nature’s bounty, and I will reflect on the growing season, and plan for the next year.  The Cycle of Growth will continue again.

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Lessons from Mother Nature and the season of Spring

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Spring is a wonderful season.  We are emerging from the cold of Winter into the season of planting and new growth.  Many will manage and plan for the season of flowers and other plants.  For me it is the start of the vegetable growing season.

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Some people make New Year resolutions.  However, we should all reflect on ourselves and our lives at least periodically.  It is worth reflecting on our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

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Firstly, I plan for what I will grow this year.  What worked well previously?  What didn’t work well?  What is suited to the growing conditions?  What do I like to eat?  What new vegetables will I try this year?  All of these questions help me to determine what I will grow.

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How am I doing physically, mentally, and spiritually?  Am I content with my physical, mental, and spiritual well-being?  What is working for me?  What is not working?  What am I happy about?  What can I improve?  What do I need to stop doing?  What do I need to start doing?

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When I reflect upon these questions, I determine what I will stop doing and what I will start doing in the coming days and months.  At a physical level I may do more exercise or monitor and change my eating habits.  I may take up a new sport of physical activity.  To stay mentally active, I may take an online course or take a training programme.  I may play more online word or numbers games, or do some crosswords.  At a spiritual level, I may do some reading on spirituality and related subjects.  I may start meditating.  I may follow a particular spiritual practice.  Maybe I will pray more.  I may start writing a daily Gratitude Diary (covered in another article on this site).

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I may work on developing new personal relationships, or strengthening some existing relationships.  I may let some relationships lapse so that I can concentrate on those that are important to me.

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I purchase the seeds required if I don’t have any from last season.  I plan when and where to sow them, and how many.  Some will be started in a propagator.  Some will be directly sown in the greenhouse, and later some will be directly sown outdoors.

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I need to be careful as I only have limited energy and time.  I must choose my actions wisely ensuring that I have the capacity to carry out the actions properly.  I need to plan how and when I will carry out the actions.

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The seeds and plants will need to be tended – there will be transplanting, thinning, watering and other maintenance required.  Weeds will have to be removed, and the plants may need protection from predators – slugs, white butterflies, and birds.

​

If I put in the work and Mother Nature co-operates I will, hopefully, have a flourishing array of vegetables for much of the year and into next year.  Not all seeds and plants will survive, for different reasons.  However, many will be resilient and will flourish. 

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I will need to invest time and effort on my physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing.  Not everything will work out as planned but most things will work out and will result in a better physical condition, or mental capacity, or spiritual wellbeing.  In the spiritual sense we strive for greater inner peace and contentment.  We need to invest our limited time and effort in whatever we want to change or to develop, so we need to choose wisely.  We should not invest time in meaningless activities but rather on what will help us develop or grow as individuals, as family members, as members of our community, and as one of the inhabitants of this wonderful planet.

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In the end my family will enjoy Mother Nature’s bounty, and I will reflect on the growing season, and plan for the next year.  The Cycle of Growth will continue again.

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At some stage in the future I will reflect on my then current state and the cycle starts again.  I am on a continuous Cycle of Growth … more on this in future articles.

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Follow Mother Nature’s lead - you should be on a continuous Cycle of Growth too.