Signs of spring

Well, it's official: it's been the wettest winter here in England in 250 years; and we're all just about as weary as we can be of grey skies, flooded gardens, leaky houses, mud-covered Wellies, and raincoats constantly drip-drying by the hearth. But spring is coming. Snowdrops are blooming and the wild daffodils are poking through the leaf mulch in the woods.

Every year as the first of the flowers emerge like miracles from the cold, dark earth, I'm reminded of these words from Anaïs Nin, for every year they seem to be relevant once again:

"The day came," she said, "when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

For me, I've decided that day is now. I've been solitary lately, quietly grieving, giving the end my Arizona life a proper mourning. But it's time to emerge from the dark days of winter, unfurl like the flowers and re-commit to life and art.

And what about you?

What have you been holding back on?

What have you been waiting to start, or change...

...and when will you finally be ready, if not now?

Winter's not yet over, and the rain keeps falling. But signs of spring are everywhere I look.

Some encouraging words for awakening after winter hibernation: Lean In, 2 (What Would You Do if You Weren't Afraid?), "Why One Writes,"  "On Beginnings," and "The Best Time to Begin," posted previously on Myth & Moor. "Fearless Women" by Theodora Goss. "18 Principles for Highly Creative Living" and "The Art of Creative Abundance" by Justine Munk.  Creative goal-setting with Grace Nuth at the Domythic Bliss blog during "Mythic March." And since this is such a woman-centric list, here's Scott Sonnon's inspiring letter to his 9-year-old son, "Rules of Engagement for Becoming a Man," on The Good Men Project website.