Do we ever stop learning, changing and growing?
This week we were watching a mother duck with her 10 little ducklings on a pond, and it reminded us how life is a never-ending circle. We then started to reflect on the lyrics of the song, “Sunrise, Sunset” from Fiddler on the Roof:
“Sunrise, sunset, Swiftly fly the years,
One season following another, Laden with happiness and tears.”
It is the season of Spring which marks the time of new beginnings and re-emerging. We now know that COVID is no longer keeping us locked down but now appears to be a constant factor within our lives. Reflecting on the mother duck, she has given birth to ten ducklings, is taking care of them and nurturing them.
We, too, find ourselves in the season of Spring, which is frequently a time of spring cleaning, tilling, planting the gardens and watching nature begin to replenish itself. Nature can teach so many lessons about how we can navigate our own lives with resilience. There is a natural rhythm of life which, for us, has been disrupted over the past few years. Many of us are looking to find a new balance for our lives. Nature, much like the disruptions from COVID, is continually experiencing insults to its rhythm, with forest fires, floods, earthquakes, and human-made destruction. Within these disruptions, nature immediately begins a process of re-building. The new rhythm that is reached is altered to meet nature’s new needs.
Our learning from nature’s teachings outlines a resilient pathway to creating our next rhythm of life. Resilience, the positive capacity of people to cope with stress and adversity, can build as people encounter all kinds of stressors. To grow with the stressors that we encounter we need to continually develop inner strengths and outer resources. These can include:
Developing Self-Awareness.
Build Self-Regulation Skills.
Learn Coping Skills.
Increase Optimism.
Strengthen Connections.
Know Your Strengths.
Nature shows us that while there are no guarantees that hard work will restore our old rhythm, it does show us that a new rhythm of beauty and strength will emerge
Key Takeaways
Nature has many lessons to teach us.
Life’s challenges can make us stronger.
Listening for the rhythm of the circle of life is enhancing.
Best Practices
Have alternative plans in place for when Plan A doesn’t work.
Keep close to you those individuals that you have built trust.
Appreciate the beauty and positives that each day has.
Things to Limit
Allowing fear to paralyze you.
Inappropriately losing your temper.
Thinking that your tomorrows don’t hold their own beauty.
Quote of the Week
“In the circle of life It's the wheel of fortune It's the leap of faith It's the band of hope 'Til we find our place On the path unwinding In the circle, the circle of life”
`~ Billy Joel's song, Circle of Life.
In summary, as mentioned, nature has many lessons to teach us. The mother duck teaches us that learning about our new rhythm requires patience and focused attention. She will continue to circle the pond and teach her ducklings the rules of nature and then in about three months, those who survive will fly away to create their circle of life
Be well,
The paraDocs
Photo..Joseph Mancuso Photography
Check our Welcome Greeting on YouTube
The paraDocs are Dr. Francis L. Battisti, PhD, Psychotherapist, Distinguished Psychology Professor and former Executive V.P and Chief Academic Officer and Dr. Helen E. Battisti PhD, RDN, CDN, Chief Nutrition Officer, at SpNOD, Health Promotion Specialist, Research and Clinical Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and former Assistant Professor.
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