Surely God Who gives the dead earth
life will raise the dead also to life. Indeed, He has power over all things.
(Quran 41:39)
As I scrape the ice off my car, I find
it hard to believe that Spring is almost here. The world around me has been
cold and grey and uninviting for quite some time. Yet the time has come to
start thinking about planting seeds. It is also time to start thinking about
what I want to do to expand and improve my life, using my resources, with my
love, now that the period of constriction is passing. Sometimes this might
mean spreading out and trying new things. Other times it means staying where
you are but growing taller by digging your roots in deeper. If you had lost
hope in the past, maybe now it will be your turn to shine. It can’t hurt to
hope.
My children have been pressuring me to
get a house. They feel cramped sharing a tiny apartment and they want their
own rooms! At first glance it seemed to me that, given the rent I am paying,
I should consider buying a home. But then I did the math and realized that
even if we shared the expense with another family, it would be much too much
of a responsibility to maintain and heat a large house. Plus, with two of my
children in high school and possibly going off to college soon, and dreaming
of senior year trips to Europe, it makes no sense to go into debt. If my son
wants a house, he can start working and saving for his own future home.
That’s his dream, not mine. So after exploring my options I am now content
with my decision not to make any immediate changes. You can’t always know if
something is good or bad except down the road. Best thing is to keep an open
mind and don’t rush to a decision.
There is a Taoist story of an old
farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away.
Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit.
''Such bad luck,'' they said
sympathetically.
''Maybe,'' the farmer replied.
The next morning the horse returned,
bringing with it three other wild horses.
''How wonderful,'' the neighbors exclaimed.
''Maybe,'' replied the old man.
The following day, his son tried to
ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors
again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.
''Maybe,'' answered the farmer.
The day after, military officials came
to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg
was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how
well things had turned out.
''Maybe,'' said the farmer.
While remaining open-minded, it is
still wise to dream fully and completely irrationally. If money were no
object, what would you want to do in the next year, in the next ten years?
It’s good to say, ''inshallah'' while
making plans, but when we pray, we are supposed to just ask God for what we
want without any inhibitions. We should conjure up a pure vision of what we
truly want, what would make us truly happy, and ask God to let it happen. God
loves for people to ask for what they want. If the prayer is not answered in
this life, your beautiful vision still serves your benefit in the hereafter.
There is purity in the honest wish for a true desire.
We should dream and make plans for what to do in the coming months, by
ourselves if necessary! For too many years I have waited for someone who
wants to do things with me and stayed home for no reason. Our children will
only be young once. Are we going to spend every day working and sleeping and
sitting on the computer? Or are we going to get some sand in our shoes? Even
if we don’t have any money we can take a walk in the park.
Spring fever is when you just can’t sit
still in class anymore. Spring is all about going outside and shedding extra
outer layers, both literally and figuratively. We will probably visit more
places, and see more people. We will go on picnics and day trips to the
beach. The possibilities are endless! It is a good time for marriage, when
all the fruits are ripe. Are there any actual priorities left undone?
Passports expired? Start there, with some spring cleaning and some basic
projects.
This morning I heard a bird sing for
the first time in a long time. It was more like a loud angry squawk. Another
very important essence of spring is rage. The seed is so frustrated that it
bursts. Without a certain level of passionate discontent, there is no growth,
no life. So do whatever makes you happy and alive. Envision what you imagined
that you would be doing when you are older, now that you are. Whatever is
constricting you from your full potential, rebel against it! Be whole! Be
free! Take total responsibility for your life and seize what you want out of
this day.
Starting small, my spring resolution is
to fill yogurt cups with organic potting soil and plant herbs on my
windowsill. Maybe some sewing projects, bake some bread. Maybe I will learn
to harvest alfalfa sprouts or make yogurt. Soon the flowers will be blooming,
and so should we. It will be time to fly a kite, to go fishing. Have a great
day everyone! The sun is shining!
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