Spring Is Actually Coming

Spring is coming. I know it's hard to believe. We just spent three weeks living like mole people, tunneling our ways to each other's homes and appointments. Snow days almost ruined the blue and gold dress rave, but thankfully we fought through to completely wreck the internet with it.  Already in my neighbor's yard, I saw tiny little purple crocuses popping up and some yellow daisies as well--the snow a tiny halo around their crowning heads. 

I can't help but think about new beginnings every spring and Linton season.  My parents have a cattle farm, and my dad has been out a lot of nights helping the new little calves to their feet and to their mommas as they staggered through all the snow.  I have friends buying puppies; my mom ordered some new chickens; you kids are getting "promosed" to every day, and girls are investing in their Cheetos skin  and sequined dresses as we speak. The fact is, we as people love spring. We love the idea of sun and a fresh start. Our grandmothers love the idea of spring cleaning, raising the windows and sweeping out all the dust and cobwebs of the long winter.  

And although its hokey, I think there is a lot of good ideas in that sentiment we as a people can learn from. We live in a society where the re-creation of ourselves is continually possible. Just look at the likes of Brittany Spears, Miley Cryrus, Darius Rucker, to name a few. All have re-created themselves in ways that have launched themselves to new and differing success. Of course, they are celebrities with lots of money and resources, and it would be easy to say that they can recreate themselves, but lowly peons like us can't.  

I would disagree with that. We have the power to be whatever type of person we choose to be, no matter what we have done in the past, or how we have been labeled by others, or how our actions have been perceived by others. Thankfully, we determine the life we live, and we determine our happiness. It is never too early or too late to start making the decisions about who we want to be, about how we want to be thought of, about what we want to put and project into this world.  

We all need to examine ourselves and decide what dirt and cobwebs we need to get rid of within ourselves or from our lives. This is hard--looking at ourselves and really looking through our motivations, our hurts, our bad qualities is difficult. Then trying to rid ourselves of them, is even worse. It means we have to be honest with ourselves. Who likes that?  I am speaking from experience when I say that being honest about oneself is not glamorous or easy. Thirty-five years into my life, I have started myself down my own path of making important changes in myself about how I act and what I value. I had to admit that I had hurt people and myself. I have had to think about my motivations, and why I do and act the way I do sometimes.  It isn't fun, but it is worthy work. 

No matter what you have done, or what you have been labeled, there is always time to change. Whether you have been deemed a "slut", a "jerk", a "snob": whether you are the guy that uses girls for their bodies and runs them over emotionally, whether you are the girl who calls all the other girls ugly and laughs at their clothes; whether your parents have broken you down into someone who doesn't believe they will ever accomplish anything-- no matter anything-- YOU get to determine how your life will turn out.  Spring is here--always a great time for fresh start.