Saturday, March 26, 2011

Journey into Spring: Are We There Yet?

Technically it has been spring for days now. In Iowa, we have had snow, tornadoes, and 70-degree weather all in one week. Yes, I guess that sounds like spring.

So, are we already there? Is our journey over, now that the calendar says spring is on schedule? Or is this journey one of those without a clear ending?

When I was going through treatment, I used visualization exercises to help me relax, shutting my eyes and imagining a place of calm and happiness. The image that often came to mind was of the path to our summer cabin. Not the cozy cabin itself, nor the stunning mountain outside the window, or the meadow full of wildflowers.

Just the path.

Really? Was my subconscious working in metaphors? Telling me that, for that moment, the path was what I had, that there was something wonderful up ahead, but for now the focus was on this little journey?

It's a sweet path, lined with trees and, for a few days a year, wild roses. But the scenery elsewhere is spectacular, while the path is, by comparison, ordinary.

I guess if I had imagined the grandeur of the mountain I would have thought I was going to die. Or maybe my subconscious tapped into something--the feeling that, up ahead, there were great things. I just needed to keep going and I would get there.

So, snow today. Who knows what tomorrow. Soon, though, spring.

And, in seven weeks, my five-year anniversary.

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