I hear birds singing outside my window!  March 20th is the first day of spring, so bring on the warmth.  Oh wait; it’s Rochester!  I must have typed that with a brain freeze because warm summer breezes could still be a couple months away.  That beautiful week in February was just a smidgeon of what is to come.  If anything, it created in me some wishful thinking. What about you?

Even though the warm weather is not here yet, spring is almost here.  Can you hear the birds chirping? See the flowers starting to poke their heads above the earth? Just like nature comes alive in spring, we can all anticipate something different or new in life that is just about to begin.  According to the dictionary, springtime is the early part or first stage of something.  What are you about to begin in a new season of life?  Is there anything in life you can look forward to in order to change things up a bit?  Maybe something you haven’t attempted before?  How about considering throwing in some new twists to something you have been working on for a long time?

I don’t know about you, but as for me, I have to change things up as soon as I start to feel like I’ve lost my enthusiasm.  This has been the case with many things from my workout routines to my Bible studies.  Life can get so routine and mundane, but it shouldn’t.  In an effort to ward off coasting through my existence on autopilot, I often times find myself doing a mental slap in the face.  Life passes us by if we’re not careful, doesn’t it?  Despite this busyness, I am constantly struggling with my need to stay in the present and appreciate the little things.  Let me say that one of my favorite things to do every day is to plant a big kiss on my ten year-old son’s precious face and say, “I LOVE those cheeks… soft as a baby’s bum!”  Yes, as you can imagine he sometimes rolls his eyes, but he subconsciously loves his mother’s affection! It’s true; right, moms? Even though he says he hates that I compare his cheeks to a baby’s bum, he doesn’t understand that in just a few years, those cheeks will never be that soft again with all that man hair growing on it!  It makes me tear up now just thinking about how fast life gets away from us.

So if life is flying by and spring is almost here, let’s capture the moments and seize the opportunities to make life new and exciting again.  Maybe this is a good time to stop and consider how to spice up our marriages, friendships, work environments, eating habits and so much more.  For example, I saw a posting for a book by one of my favorite authors that intrigued me.  As I was reading the book, I was able to use the information I was learning to help encourage other women through their troubles.  This led me to ask a friend at church if she would like to read this book together.  She also fell in love with the book and we both agreed that it would be fun to do a book study in which we will meet and share fellowship with more women.  This will start in April and I now have something new and different to look forward to! Now, how can you take something you enjoy and turn it into a new opportunity?

As you can see, I try to take advantage of opportunities that come my way that will give life a renewed sense of purpose. Of course, this leads to increased demands on my time and resources.  Along with that, there is always something that seems to lack my full attention because I’m juggling so many plates.   The plates can’t all be spinning with the same tenacity at all times, but it’s fun to put a new twist on something old.  It’s a cycle that needs constant attention, but prevents me from falling into a mundane lifestyle.

For those of you, who are entrepreneurs, you can possibly relate to a comment I recently read in a blog. Written by an entrepreneur, the article explained how the joy of starting something new was just as rewarding as the money that was made from his business.  No matter what our income levels are, there is more to life than simply making money and living in survival mode.

Survival mode is “for the birds.” Hear them chirping along with the honking of the geese. Soon they’ll be back with anticipation of a new year of life and sustenance.  If the birds can do it, we can too!  Keep seeking those opportunities to live your life with a renewed sense of daily expectancy.  In years to come, we will look back and cherish the memories.

Jill Burress is a full time Speech-Language Pathologist at NTID/RIT along with another full time schedule of “randomness.”  As a pastor’s wife and mother of 2, she is passionate about inspiring women to be the best they can be! Find her on Facebook, Instagram and discovervictory.com.