Seeing spring arrive with blooming azaleas and harvested strawberries, I thought about the Renaissance. It brought a rediscovery of the Greek and Roman past to Europe and graced that time with an explosion in the arts and learning. The word means rebirth — fitting for a season of blooming and growth.
Historical events sometimes happen because of personal transformations in people. Life sometimes calls us to renew what we know and to shape new areas of development. It becomes the equivalent of clicking the refresh icon in our lives.
Personal renewal can come from a season or a time of year. At times, it comes from travel and new activities. A determination to reinvigorate your life leads to lasting growth.
People who experience this rediscovered energy often express themselves by creating works of art, launching helpful organizations and living inspirational lives. Mathematician and painter Leonardo Da Vinci continued painting and sketching new inventions until the end of his life.
The time often comes to make sure that what we value keeps blooming. If we value a relationship with someone, then that person calls for our attention. An ongoing awareness of this prevents the resentment that arises from inattention.
In fact, knowing what you value acts as the entrance to individual regeneration. Values provide the dynamic needed to reenergize a life, and to make it valuable to the person living it.
A person’s mental health benefits from this because it promotes a positive attitude, a better disposition and more pleasant days. Despite some scientific theories that say people just respond to chemicals in the brain, we make the choice to engage in life with renewed energy.
A friend of mine decided to revitalize his working life by starting his own publishing company. He publishes his own novels as well as the work of others, and his decision came after a number of years spent in another field.
Sometimes it becomes helpful to rearrange a particular view of life. Getting too entrenched in a viewpoint or a situation often leads to emotional stagnation. At these times, the importance of reenergizing daily life arises.
Life renewed means life lived better. If you ask yourself what you need to renew in your life, pay attention to your first thought. That makes it easier to formulate a plan to turn the idea into reality.
Something as small as taking a different route to a destination refreshes daily life, reawakening dormant insights and perspectives. Having conversations with people that disagree with you on an issue serves the same purpose.
If we let the season blossoming around us act as a reminder to renew aspects of life, we provide ourselves with refreshed motivation. New blooms beautify the lives we lead.
Scott Toler is a licensed mental health counselor living in Plant City. He can be reached at etoler25@tampabay.rr.com.