Awaken Your Wild Self This Spring
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
— Mary Oliver
Last week, I invited you to take a sensory walk. If you did, you might have noticed the subtle scent of daffodils—or the chirps that only yesterday were sporadic, now beginning to hit symphonic highs. We’re standing on Spring’s threshold—a liminal space between what was and what will be.
In myths, thresholds are often places of power. The space between night and day. Between the seen and the unseen. As we straddle this seasonal threshold, it’s good to remind ourselves that nature doesn’t rush. The daffodils, dandelions, and forsythia are blooming, the dogwoods are budding, but the oaks, maples, and magnolias will take their time. In our own lives, this is a good time to ask: What needs to be cleared away? What is ready to bloom? What still needs tending?
Modern life tends to disconnect us from asking these questions, partly because technology is designed to keep us incessantly scrolling. Scrolling is an addictive in-between space. How often have you set out to do something and lost track of time while watching reels of other people doing things you want to be doing? You’re not alone! Many of us are scrolling instead of reading, making art, practicing yoga, planting a garden, or . . . fill in the blank! We can support ourselves by escaping the digital grind and embracing screen-free mini-retreats.
This season, I’m offering two nature-based personal development workshops at ReWilding: Lab in Fayetteville, AR, to help you escape digital distractions and reclaim your wild and precious life. Spring Renewal: Awaken Your Wild Self is a two-hour gift to your wild self. You’ll awaken your senses, set intentions, and walk to the Ramble to connect with the more-than-human world where we will explore the principles of forest therapy and nature-based healing. (Yes, it is possible to do that in the middle of the city!) In the Activate Your Wild Willpower workshop, we’ll explore how and when willpower became disconnected from its source and use ecotherapy-based sensory practices to chart a path toward reconnection, personal transformation, and self-discovery.
As we approach spring's official start, I invite you to prepare—not by forcing anything but by noticing:
What in your life is ready to bloom?
What needs to be cleared away, like last year’s fallen leaves?
What dream, idea, or part of yourself needs nourishing before it can grow?
This is the season of emergence. Step outside, listen to the birds sing, smell everything, and let out a shout of gratitude.