Entering a new season

“I’m wondering if you...,” she hesitated. 
“Yes?”
She tried again, looking more and more uncomfortable by the second. 
“It’s just…, well…, is it possible that you might be close to…”
Another pause while her cheeks turned redder, and I tried to figure out what she wanted to ask me. 
“Maybe you are eligible for a discount?” she finally blurted out.
“Oh!” I laughed, “you’re trying to ask me if I am a senior!”  I acknowledged how difficult it was to have to ask this question, checked to find out what the age of a senior was, and we determined that, yes, I was eligible for a discount!

I left the store, not sure about how I felt to be in this new category and while I knew (and hoped) that this day was coming, now that it was official, it caught me off guard.  What did this mean for me, I wondered and was I ready for this new season of life?

I’ve had my share of practice with new seasons – not just the seasons of nature but the seasons of change.  What seasons are you experiencing now?  Maybe your children are moving out and you are entering the empty nest season, or you are in a season of a new job or perhaps you are in a season of grief or health recovery, retirement, a new baby, caring for a parent, a new city…so many seasons!

Often you don’t have a choice about what season you will experience next and sometimes, you have a bit of time to prepare.  As I approached my 60^th birthday last month, I looked for ways I could be more intentional with the transition and to make this new season lighter. 

I am affectionately calling this new season ‘Deb 6.0’ and it’s about upgrading to an improved version of myself.  Some of the upgrades include:

• Only wearing clothes that I love and that make me ‘dance’ when I put them on
• Trusting myself and not letting others make me wrong because they have opinions about how I should be living my ‘one wild and precious life’ (to quote Mary Oliver)
• Following creative impulses just for the pure delight of it and not for any production value
• No explaining or defending my choices or actions
• Always expecting, looking for and receiving magic
• Beautiful, good quality, well-fitting underwear
• Making a decision and making it right (stop seeking validation from others)
• Nurturing my sensitivity and seeing it as a strength
• More high-quality chocolate!

 The upgrade will be dynamic, shifting and changing – I’ll add and delete as I evolve.  For now, having a clear focus of what I want to be different will naturally attract the situations and experiences that will show me what else to add to the list.  I feel centered, grounded and ready for this new season, whatever it holds for me. 

How about you?  Are you ready for a new season?  Today, you have arrived in the shiny new season of summer with all its possibilities and offers of freedom, joy and celebration.  If you are so inclined, give yourself a few moments to set some intentions for your summer (even if you are also in some challenging seasons) and let yourself imagine some delicious potential for connection, spaciousness, magic and giggles.  May you find ease in whatever season you are in now and courage to create more playful seasons to come!

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