Impermanence, a word, a feeling that has been sticking with me lately. The impermanence of life; of season, of weather, of joy, of distress, of successes, and of failures.
Everything is always shifting, sometimes there are big obvious shifts; moving, a new job, a new baby, a death. Other shifts are harder to notice, the days slowly lengthening, snow slowly melting, birds migrating, children growing, bodies aging.
This month at The Wild Institute we are focused on being Wildly Present and the art of shifting.
Imagine yourself standing on a lake still solid with ice. You sway gently. There is a warm wind, and your feet feel the ice firm and strong beneath you. The sun warms the back of your legs and torso, embracing you in a hug. You know the sun will melt the ice fully away. You know that you will not be there when that happens.
Do you mourn the melting of the snow and ice? Can you mourn it at the same time as looking forward to being back to hear the waves? Can you welcome the creeping feeling of impermanence and settle in to right where you are right now?
The shift from late winter to early spring is not a straight path. The natural world invites us over and again to stay in the moment. To recognize that, when we pay attention, we become aware that things are always shifting… that impermanence is simply part of being alive.
