Yesterday, I had the pleasure of wandering through the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. I don’t have any photos to share because I intentionally disconnected from technology and chose instead to be fully present with the moment and the space around me.
The weather was gorgeous, and it seemed as though everyone in the city had the same idea. There was a beautiful buzz of energy in the air, matched by the abundance of bright yellow daffodils carpeting the gardens. The energy of spring was palpable here in the Southern Hemisphere. 🌼
This morning, with the sun still shining and the sky a brilliant blue, I decided to walk while running a few errands. I knew that, in typical New Zealand fashion, the rain and wind would likely arrive soon. The air was crisp and a little chilly at 40°F (my body still hasn’t quite accepted the metric system 😆), but everywhere I looked there were signs of new growth and warmer days ahead.
The scent of flowers, the birdsong, the gentle buzzing of bumblebees, and the soft breeze created an almost trance-like atmosphere.
As I walked, I found myself meditating on the ideas of rebirth and renewal—and how persistent these cycles are in nature.
For the daffodils, renewal means enduring the cold and darkness of winter, conserving energy and quietly gathering strength until the days become longer and warmer. Then, when the time is right, they push upward and emerge into the light.
I realized how deeply I related to those little blooms.
After moving to a new country on the other side of the world—and the other side of the hemisphere—I had entered a kind of hibernation of my own. I was conserving my energy, slowly developing roots, gathering nourishment, and finding my sense of safety. I needed time before I was ready to bloom again.
And now, almost a year later, I can feel something shifting. I feel more at home. More connected. More like myself again.
At the Reiki conference, a fellow attendee shared an intriguing thought: perhaps my soul had simply needed a little extra time to find my body in its new physical location. My physical body arrived last September, but perhaps my soul took the scenic route. ✨
It’s an interesting concept to contemplate.
Had I, in some way, become disconnected from my true identity—the essence of who I really am? I admit there was a period when I felt somewhat powerless and detached from the world around me.
But perhaps I wasn’t lost.
Perhaps I was simply regrouping.
Or maybe I was regrounding.
Through meditation, time in nature, and reconnecting with my own energy, I’ve slowly found my way back to my center—and back into my power.
Nature has a beautiful way of reminding us that there is no shame in retreating, resting, gathering strength, and taking our time. Renewal doesn’t happen all at once. Sometimes, the most important growth happens quietly beneath the surface.
And when we are ready, we emerge. 🌱
What are some of the ways you remind yourself who you are?
Have you ever experienced a time when you felt disconnected from yourself—or even as though your soul hadn’t quite caught up with you yet?
Perhaps, like the daffodils, you were simply waiting for the right season to bloom. 💛
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