There are lots of reasons to love springtime, not the least of which is that glorious day of the year when you can pack up the parkas, clean the house, and throw the window open to let clean, fresh air in. As we transition from dark winter to bright summer, we look at all aspects of our lives to ready ourselves for the new season. Diets clean up as we get ourselves beach-body ready, calendars lighten up as we make time for gardening and lawn care, and we reconnect with neighbors not seen since before the first snowfall.
As I was cleaning out my kids' room today, I got to thinking that this ritualistic seasonal activity should apply to more than just our diets, calendars, and closets. What about our hearts? What are we doing to prep the field so that love can grow?
As I was cleaning out my kids' room today, I got to thinking that this ritualistic seasonal activity should apply to more than just our diets, calendars, and closets. What about our hearts? What are we doing to prep the field so that love can grow?
I spent my 20's living in a small town in western Wisconsin. Every spring, I saw the farm fields that surrounded our community turn from dusty, dry brown to rich, dark black after the farmers turned the soil to prepare for planting. The seeds, laid in neat rows for miles on end, held so much hope for the future. The right summertime conditions of warmth, rain, and nourishment yielded a bountiful fall harvest. If the soil was bad or the rain didn't come, the seeds were stunted or perhaps failed to sprout at all.
Like those acres and acres of Wisconsin farmland, our hearts are the fertile soil in which we must sow seeds of love. If the space in our heart is tainted with fear, hurt, sorrow, or impatience, the seeds have no chance of growing. They will die without ever having seen sunlight. But if we offer our hearts a bit of peace and provide room for knowledge and growth, our seeds have a much better chance of realizing themselves.
As there were varieties of crops on those vast Wisconsin fields, there are varieties of love as well. If we plant romantic love and have not seeds of self-love already in the ground, romantic love will surely result in failure. Promises made to a partner are meaningless if we fail to know what lies within our souls. Discovering the habits of our hearts are the very key to unlocking our ability to fully experience love. If we don't know ourselves, we will never have the capacity to understand another person.
So ask yourself a few questions as you ready your heart to find love, keep love, or expand the love you already have. Turn these thoughts over in your head, as a farmer turns his fields:
Like those acres and acres of Wisconsin farmland, our hearts are the fertile soil in which we must sow seeds of love. If the space in our heart is tainted with fear, hurt, sorrow, or impatience, the seeds have no chance of growing. They will die without ever having seen sunlight. But if we offer our hearts a bit of peace and provide room for knowledge and growth, our seeds have a much better chance of realizing themselves.
As there were varieties of crops on those vast Wisconsin fields, there are varieties of love as well. If we plant romantic love and have not seeds of self-love already in the ground, romantic love will surely result in failure. Promises made to a partner are meaningless if we fail to know what lies within our souls. Discovering the habits of our hearts are the very key to unlocking our ability to fully experience love. If we don't know ourselves, we will never have the capacity to understand another person.
So ask yourself a few questions as you ready your heart to find love, keep love, or expand the love you already have. Turn these thoughts over in your head, as a farmer turns his fields:
- What circumstances do I need in order to be happy?
- In what activities do I find joy?
- What can I offer to my partner?
- Am I communicating effectively? Does my partner know these things about me?
Answering these questions will be like pouring sunlight on your heart.
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