Take Time to Smell the Flowers

Spring is in the air!  This is a lovely time of year where nature is rebirthed. The trees, grass and flower beds are bursting with colour and freshness. Listen for the lawn mowers and breathe in deeply the smell of freshly cut grass. Get outside and look at the blue sky. Lay on the grass or beach and watch the clouds float by. Pretend you are a kid and let yourself see shapes of animals and objects in the white cotton as it skims across the sky.

You have heard the saying… “A change is as good as a rest.” Well, not all of us can take a vacation and go sit by a pool in some exotic hotel. But each one of us can stop and smell the flowers. These moments of solitude are “mini vacations” and they will do wonders to replenish our spirit.

Grieving and mourning is emotionally and physically taxing; therefore, it is vital to pace yourself. Sitting around watching television for 12 – 18 hours and secluding yourself from the outside world isn’t what I mean by pacing yourself. I am talking about getting out, doing something fun, taking in the beauty that surrounds you, and giving thanks that you are here to enjoy it. Yes, it is okay to have fun after loss – granted it is more challenging to allow your spirit to lighten up – but if you can allow some fun in, albeit for a brief time, you will feel better.

One of the most gratifying things that you can do – and one that will shift your thinking and feelings immediately – is to do something for someone else. Take a cupcake to a friend. Write a note and thank someone for being there for you. Offer to pull weeds for the elderly person down the street. Smile at the homeless person sitting on the curb. Do what you can to go beyond what has happened in your life and help someone with what has happened to them and I promise that your perspective will shift.

When was the last time you experienced joy? Allow some into your life today.