It’s been a long weird wet winter. While I have managed to stay pretty upbeat and hibernated as much as possible those that I love most have really struggled, stuck in a routine which doesn’t make them happy and a mindset that allows no room for improvement. Add to that Epstein, war and literally months of rain and I can see why winters are described as bleak. But then, just in time for the equinox spring danced into the room. Sunshine arrived, birds were singing and flowers blooming. In the wonderful Wild Garden programme the presenter said ‘if you cant stand the winter you don’t deserve the spring’, we got through it and now we deserve this.
We have come to Devon for the week and the weather has been glorious. Outside our house is a beautiful tidal river and each day we have enjoyed the tides going in and out exactly on time. When the tide is out the river bed is sludgy and muddy but full of wonderful birds and when the tide is high, as it is now, the water is a brilliant turquoise colour and I find it hard to imagine a more beautiful view.
All of this has got me thinking, in those darkest parts of winter it was pretty much the faith in the spring which got us through. The rain would stop, the insects would return. Faith is not present so much in the world these days. We used to believe in fairies and green men, following mother nature round her wheel of the year. Then Jesus, Mary and all the rest gave us churches and routine, a set of rules which some may not agree with but a sanctuary and wisdom for when things became hard. We have also lost our rituals to celebrate as a community, we will all eat chocolate on Sunday I am sure but not many will attend church or celebrate May Day. Faith is very much on the outskirts and for most now seems to feel out of reach.
Fear on the other hand is easy, partly because we are hard wired to spot danger but also because it is fed to us everyday. However none of this is new, war is not new, weird dictators are not new and these things will end and change. Fear is the same as faith, investing thought, emotion and preparing for an imagined bad future is no different to investing thought, emotion and celebrating a good one. They are both just guesses at what might happen. And in this world the spring does still come, the tide does turn and generally things will work out or at the very least change.
So as I sit here opposite a beautiful church overlooking the sunny high tide I am choosing to put my energy into faith that things will work out not fear that they won’t, maybe it’s just that simple.
Rewilding my family 