It’s only the end of March and 2020 has offered some pretty crazy hairpin turns, mountainous terrain, and rivers to ford already. But what’s the green, growing, luscious side in your life?
When the world (pandemics, politics, people, or even inner emotion) tries to knock you down, it’s important to keep your eye focused on the goal.
For me, this winter and spring has been all about growth. I was finishing my masters degree and student teaching until the pandemic shut down schools. Thankfully, I had completed enough hours and am currently waiting for my last few credits to pass, all coursework finished.
In fact, I’m basically finished with grad school and am looking to the future, eyes bright and . . . yeah, that’s where it stops. Not only do I not know where I want to go from here, the world right now is a surprisingly uncertain place.
Which brings me back to viridity (which will be on the Word Wall soon). I have to thank Merriam-Webster’s word of the day for viridity. It means, in a word, green. How perfect for spring! And I’ve always loved the word verdure. Aaah. The lush green of trees draping over a river, the dewy paddocks grazed by stark white sheep, the smell—yes, the smell—of a fresh-cut lawn or hayfield all resonate in these green-imbued words.
Green means growth. Growth can, well, hurt. And the green usually has to grow before the fruit is seen.
While we have to learn to grow during a time when our jobs have forsaken us, the economy nose-dives, and proper schools and gyms look like a thing of the past, we do have the time to reflect, spend time in the moment, and do some gardening in our own lives.
They (you know, the ambiguous they) say those who practice presence are the happiest people. I think Americans tend to be pretty bad at practicing presence. We like to have our checklists and go-go-go. Let’s use this time to learn presence. Enjoy the little moments with family or by yourself. Enjoy the breeze tickling the blades of grass, the sun coaxing the flowers to spread their vibrant pedals, and even the rain as it pounds grass seed into the mud so it can die and live again.
And let this time be a time of growth—a time characterized by viridity.
Wordbender Editing 