Hello there,

A week ago I returned to New York from a trip home to see my parents and found that spring had arrived in my absence.

The magnolias and pear trees along my street were dense with white blossoms. Inside my apartment, four of the five orchids I'd been tending through the winter had bloomed.

I'm aware that spring is also a process happening within me. As the days warm, I find myself invited back into a sense of ease. I'm that guy smiling at other New Yorkers on blue-sky days, and holding doors open for strangers. My heart feels abloom.

Yet I also feel a tension around this. The world right now can often feel heavy and beyond my control. There's a part of me, maybe a part of many of us, that senses it's somehow inappropriate to be soft, joyful and spring-like in times like these.

But what would happen if spring never came? Likewise, what happens when we only allow ourselves to focus on the heaviness of life?

My guess is that most of us are spending more time at the heavier end of the spectrum right now, than the bright and blooming one.

So my invitation to myself has been to consciously take time to be soft and spring-like—to open to the beauty around me, and let it inform my sense of what matters and what's possible.

And then, when I get back to the latest headline or challenge I'm facing, I notice that I'm bringing something different to it. Something a little more grounded and more ready to face whatever's next.

I wish you a very happy rest of spring.

Bountifully 🌸,
Stephen

An invitation you might explore: letting beauty in

Step outside, or look out a window, and let yourself notice something that's currently full of life: a tree, a flower, the bustling city streets, or even the speckled afternoon light on a familiar wall.
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Breathe deeply, and soften your gaze to include the whole scene. Take 30–60 seconds to really take it in.
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​What does it feel like to connect with the aliveness of the world right now?​
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What do you notice?
It might be joy and levity or sadness. It might be restlessness or peace. It might be a mix of many things.
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Whatever comes up, see if you can simply let it be there. Allow the world and you to be in present-moment relationship, and then return to your day.
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If you try it, I'd love to hear what you notice. Just reply to this email and let me know.

Words of wisdom

— David Whyte