A Poem for the arrival of Spring
Finally…! January felt like the longest month ever this year. But now February is here, which is also my birth month so it always feels a little bit special to me.
1st of Feb is the official day of Spring here in Ireland and the first day of the Celtic Year. I personally feel like it is a more natural time for “new beginnings”, as now one can experience some signs of new life after the darkness of Winter.
The mornings are slowly getting brighter and there is “a bit of a stretch in the evening” too. But don’t be fooled. Winter is slow to let go of its grip yet.
This week I am sharing a poem by Donna Ashworth. A dear colleague shared it with me and told me that a client whom she was supporting in eating disorder recovery had shared it with her.
Whether you are holiding hope for recovery or hope for Spring (or perhaps both!) I hope it will nourish you too.
DON’T LOSE HOPE
Put hope in a safe place. Not a super-safe place; the place we cleverly stash things in, never to be seen again. Just a safe, everyday place. Like beside your car-keys.
Put hope beside your car-keys. And everyday, before you leave the house, you'll see hope glistening there and you won’t forget to take it with you.
And if you’re careful with hope, you'll never lose it again. You’ll never experience that numb, hapless cloud that descends upon your life with its soul-sucking vacuous apathy.
Without your car keys, you're going nowhere right? It’s the same with hope.
Hope is the engine, the steering wheel, the power in your life. Keep it safe.
Don’t lose hope, keep it with your keys. You need it more than you may know.
Donna Ashworth
