Different Seasons Of Life
Gaone Monau | Monday April 19, 2021 13:12
We all experience these four seasons in our lives not just from the weather perspective, but from a personal and relationship level. It is possible to experience a replication of multiple seasons in a year at a personal and relationship level. It is also possible to experience only one or two seasons in consecutive years.
This article therefore serves to address how the four seasons manifest themselves in our individual lives and relationships at regular intervals. The contents of this article have largely been derived from some of my previous posts on my ‘Be Motivated with Gaone’ page on Facebook.
Winter is a time when it’s cold and we are in need of warmth. Winter is a time when we experience challenges seemingly beyond our control. You could be grieving the death of a loved one or you could have just been unfairly dismissed and jobless. According to Jim Ron it is in winter that one of the partners in a relationship may complain to their lover that ‘you don’t sing me love songs anymore, you don’t hug me and kiss me anymore’.
Winter could be a season when love between couples seems to have fizzled out. Parties may have more conflicts and misunderstandings than usual and are cold towards each other.
Most couples break up in winter. However, this need not be the case always for winter can be temporal if handled well.
In winter some people tend to hibernate from the world to reflect on their lives. Some spend more time alone or with their closest ones. Therefore, winter is a time of reflection.
Winter may be that period when we feel more depressed and overwhelmed than usual. It may feel like the bottom has fallen out in our lives at this season, we may be experiencing challenges from all directions and feeling powerless. It is in winter that your loved ones may withdraw from you, sometimes not because you are at fault. The withdrawal could most likely be because they are in a state of introspection and reflection and therefore need clarity and direction.
When going through winter it’s vital to come up with an effective stress busting plan such as exercising, meditation, reading or even going for therapy etc. In the absence of an effective stress busting plan, we are most likely to veer off track and hurt ourselves even more.
We can help our loved ones to overcome in winter by showing more compassion and walking with them (and not walking for them) through their storm. We may also need to give them space as and when they need it so as for them to introspect and draw healing from within.
In a relationship, it’s vital for the parties to realise that though the days are wintry and seems like they are losing everything, all they have is each other. Therefore, intentional communication is key in our relationships at this season. Spring represents renewed hope and new beginnings. A budding relationship and someone who just got a new job after a season of dryness all epitomise spring.
Just like the trees develop new leaves in spring after having shed them in winter; spring characterises a time when we may acquire new habits and skills. For example, you may decide to fine-tune and chisel your talents more at this season because you were fired.
It’s in this season that someone who was grieving the loss of a loved one or job may now find healing and be able to see the world with a brighter lens. For the couple where the love songs, kisses and hugs had disappeared, such may start appearing now because of a renewed hope.
Spring represents an epoch of new opportunities and adventures. It is fundamental that we maximise opportunities in spring for spring is a time of sowing.
Moreover, it’s necessary for us to know which season we are in, at every phase in our lives. Failure to recognise the seasons we are at (especially in spring) may lead us to miss opportunities we would have not missed had we been alert and mindful to the season.
The next article will be a worthy continuance of this one.
*Gaone Monau is a practicing attorney and motivational speaker. For bookings on gender based violence awareness seminars, motivational talks or consultations on relationships, confidence building, stress management and self-discovery contact +26774542732 or gpmonau@gmail.com. Her facebook page is Be Motivated with Gaone.