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Second post of the day and we’re movin’ right along. Yay!

I’ve been looking forward to having the time to write a real blog post. By “real”, I mean the kind I used to write before my days began to pass by in hyper speed. The kind of post when I would take a moment to share with you the magical moments I take to heart and analyze throughout my week. So many things inspire me on the daily (besides pretty clothes and sunsets) and I’m often moved to write about them, only to discover the duties of running a business cutting my time short.

So, today, I made a vow to take time to myself and share my lesson of the week with all of you.

I’m currently sitting by my fireplace, listening to the torrential downpour outside and thinking of a glimmering ray of hope I embraced while on this shoot for Arnhem .

The day of these photos was the first time I’ve shot all winter without gusty winds, looming fog or freezing temperatures. This dreamy day seemed to impersonate another season, disguising itself as Spring or early Summer. The sunshine warmed my skin as a soft breeze delicately whisked through my hair. The beauty of the day amazed me and I truly felt my soul at peace while wandering through the countryside. I listened to birds chirping in the trees and stumbled upon multiple beds of wildflowers, all vibrantly reaching up to the sky and softly swaying between blades of green grass.

As I reflected on this immense surrounding beauty, I remembered the past few months when my life presented a series of situations leading to great emotional distress. One thing after another caused me to delve into sadness and emerge with new lessons learned and elements of myself exposed.

At times, I feel I’m still recovering from these instances and my heart aches with pain. While I am a naturally optimistic person, I’ve sincerely struggled in unpredictable cycles to keep my head up. There’s been chaos gravitating towards me from all angles and my empathetic nature has left me extremely emotionally exhausted.

With this in mind, I sat on top of my little rock pile, looking out towards the valley with magical blue mountains in the distance, and let waves of residual pain wash over me. I’ve found embracing emotions and sitting with their transformational power the best way to overcome sadness or distress, especially while in nature.

As I sat there, coping with my emotions and breathing in the fresh mountain air, a thought occurred that sparked a new train of thought.

Mother Earth teaches us that even after the harshest winter, flowers still bloom, birds still sing and mountainsides come back to life, thriving with flora and fauna.

Nature, like humans, has a way of healing itself and growing from the cold winter that once wreaked havoc. In fact, it’s the demanding winter that makes spring that much more beautiful.

Suddenly the colors of flowers seem bolder, trees outstretch their branches with more complexity than ever before and the feeling of sunshine becomes an absolute dreamland of bliss.

After this realization, I felt as though the thought of winter conjured so much hope.

Suddenly, this trying season holds the power to establish beauty in the future and those rainy days and freezing nights don’t seem so bad because you know something amazing is just around the bend (like mountainsides covered in poppies and lupine).

Just like that, the same demanding winter is beaming with hope and promises of magic.

Even now, as the rain outside floods my street and violently attacks my roof, the thought that this downpour may surface more wildflowers and life in the upcoming months leaves me reeling with happiness.

Simply put, without the experience of winter, we could never appreciate the bountiful spring awaiting in time.

In this way, the trying moments in life transform into gifts of knowledge and perspective. Instances of distress become an opportunity to grow.

After all, while your soul may feel momentarily frozen over from the pain of winter, the inevitable truth is, that spring will inspire the flowers in your soul to grow, not in spite of a harsh winter, but because that painful season served a vital part in creating a new magical reality.

So, here’s to embracing the harsh seasons of life with full force. For always remembering that while sadness, pain, and distress, may make their appearance, there is always beauty just around the corner and hope within the present.

And all it took for me to fully believe this concept was the first wildflower sighting of the season.

Thank you Planet Earth for teaching me to see the light.

xx

p.s. I love all of you

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WHAT I’M WEARING 
ARNHEM – MAPLE LACE CROP
FREE PEOPLE – HYDE WRAP FLAT