I’ve never been a fan of winter. Even as a kid, I hated being cold. Sure, I’d play outside for awhile, making snow people and having snowball fights with my sisters. But after an hour or so, I’d retreat indoors by the fire with a good book or video game, dreaming of warm days filled with shooting baskets, playing catch with my dad, and tromping through the woods.
That’s why I loved robins. As the long, gray months of Michigan winters wound to a close, I would peer expectantly out the windows, eager to catch a glimpse of the first robin of spring. The bird became a symbol of hope for me, a sign that winter was indeed almost over, and the long-anticipated renewal was almost here.
With homemade masks on against the coronavirus, my wife Lisa and I were walking in a nearby park recently when I saw a flash of red. Hopping from place to place, looking for seeds beneath an oak tree, was a robin. The sight brought me back to my childhood, and along with it came a familiar longing.
Like all of us, I feel trapped in a long coronavirus winter, stuck inside when I’d rather be out playing. And unlike winter, the current pandemic induced season we’re in has no reliable end-date. All we know is that it’s going to be a long slog. That’s a depressing thought.
But the robin reminded me of an important truth. This winter will pass. Spring will come. It always does. Research will be completed. Containment measures will be improved. A vaccine will eventually be found. The world we return to will probably look differently than we remember when we finally emerge, blinking in the sun. This experience will change us, as 9/11 did, and we’ll adapt to a new normal. But it’s going to be okay. We’re going to get there. Together.
So what’s your symbol of hope? What image or word or experience or possession or animal or person reminds you of a promised renewal? Perhaps yours relates to the hopeful message of the recent Easter season. It could be the aroma of fresh baked bread. Maybe it’s the sunrise, or a cherished book or song.
Whatever it is, find a way to focus on that symbol during this challenging time. Place it on a sticky note on your mirror. Use it as your phone’s home screen or computer background. Add it to your playlist. Set it on your nightstand. Bake it tonight. If you do, you’ll feel the winds of hope begin to stir, and you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself.
Throughout my ghost hunting experience, choosing to embrace it all meant focusing on the good and joyful aspects of each step. That doesn’t mean I denied the exertion and the injuries of the search or my disappointment at the commonplace explanation of the light’s source. It means I chose to focus on the child-like wonder during the search phase and the feeling of accomplishment in the unmasking phase.
Some clarification on this point. Obviously, not everything in your life is equally enjoyable or offers the same degree of potential happiness. Right now some of you are going through terrible trials and struggles. In no way do I mean to minimize your pain. What I’m saying is that even the hardest things we face provide an opportunity for something good. During college I learned some horrible news that I knew would affect me deeply for many years. While I was devastated and grieving, I found a spark of hope underneath it all, a quiet excitement that came from knowing that going through this journey could make me a better, stronger person if I let it. That experience was one of the lowest and most difficult seasons of my life but I am so grateful for the things I learned and who I became through it. I did my best to embrace it all.
What does applying this idea look like in your life? Here’s a couple examples:
We all want to be happy. Life is filled with obstacles to fulfilling that desire and we need to find a variety of ways to overcome them. Choosing to embrace it all is just one approach that’s been helpful for me. Look for the good, the beautiful, and the joyful in every season. Choose to embrace it all. If you do, you’ll take another happy step toward Becoming Yourself.