Flowers are budding, trees are blooming, the temperature range requires parkas in the morning but short-sleeves by noon—it’s undeniably spring. We may have lost an hour to daylight savings, but we are reaping the rewards of sunshine-filled evenings with a sense of hopefulness for the future. Simultaneously, the end of this semester looms over us with its impending anxiety-filled shadow. As my due dates accumulate and overlap, I am as stressed as any other college-aged pupil and yet there is something about this time that tugs at my conscience to turn back to a few months ago. Maybe it’s all the Victorian poetry I’ve been reading for my literary history class, or maybe it’s just hay fever, but whatever is causing this contemplative mood—if you feel it too, then here is a Spring Renewal walkthrough that is as much for me as it is for you.
- Reflect
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April may not feel like a momentous month, but it is important to recognize that we are more than a third of the way through 2021. This may cause you stress, relief, or maybe even wonder at how time has passed—and all of these feelings are valid. Allow yourself to feel however you are inclined within this moment; as you tune into your emotions, think back to the beginning of this year, or the end of December, to those New Year’s resolutions you may or may not have kept. Can you remember? What did life feel like then? How have things changed—how have you changed? How have you remained the same? Try not to cast judgment on yourself for how your resolutions have gone over; if they are gone entirely, this is something to reflect on too. This brings us to our next step:
- Reconsider
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Once you have defined these differences in space and time, hopefully flowing through your emotions, you are now presented with the opportunity to re-evaluate the direction you are headed. Look over your retrieved list of resolutions—how are these goals serving you? What can you hold onto, and what can you let go of? Step back on a micro and then macro level; think about your daily routine, your weekend habits, your summer plans—separate your wishes, wants, and would-be’s from your reality. Use the knowledge you now have of the present to root you within your past and allow yourself to shift leaves towards your possible future. If the future is still unfamiliar to you, you can find flexibility within this discomfort. Only think as far ahead as you can securely imagine, and then consider whether your previous resolutions will help you now and within this future. After meditating on this, you now have the freedom to choose which resolutions you would like to:
- Renew
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This is your moment of untethered pleasure; you get to decide what it is you want to pursue. Think about life, literally: the technicolor board game. Maybe you’re not the one rolling the dice—after all, we can’t always control what opportunities come our way—but you are the one steering your vehicle. Even if it means starting at square one, you will still make it through the journey on your own route. Make a plan for how you want to proceed through the rest of 2021. You can be precise, or you can be more ambiguous in your intentions. You can also abandon intentionality completely. It’s up to you. This year still has so much in store, and you will get to experience all of it. As your renewals feel clearer within your mind, I encourage you to record them somewhere—anywhere. You might display them for you to see as a reminder, or maybe you’ll tuck them away to return to later. Either way, you will have hopefully changed for the better in allowing yourself time to sift through and reconcile with your resolutions.
As spring thaws into sticky summers and crisp falls, I wish you the best in all your endeavors. May April pass and May bring us more than we ever could have imagined possible. Happy blooming beautiful flowers!