Seasons - Part 2

But there another factor at play in life and that relates to selecting where it is that you need to go.  Because life like seasons has repetition to it, we need to make certain selections or choices and stick to them, because as my late grandfather used to say, you "don't plant pumpkins and pick potatoes". Having searched and explored and then being ready to implement with the right attitude, it comes down to a time when selecting our direction, can and should make a significant difference to the end result.  I am not a believer in the fact that this all takes place by the age of 21 and then from there, we are adults, who are destined to pick a job, find a mate, settle down and then slog through life till the end, when we may see the end of a good life at four score and ten.  Surely life is such a blessing, that we can make selections early and later in life and not be too afraid that even if we make "wrong" choices there will be another season to rectify this, or to choose a different outcome.  We can start again if things go pear or we can keep going if the thing ain't broke. We just need to commit to our selections, because many times we fail because of the fact that, though we are in the right time and place, we don't commit sufficiently to the result, that we end up thinking that we are in summer, when in fact we are in spring.  They may in part look the same, warm and with growth, but they are different, because if you try to plant in summer the sun will burn the seedlings and they will not grow and similarly, if we forget to plant in spring thinking that we are in summer, we will end up with no crops to bear fruit.  Sound profound -  maybe i'l get published in Farmer's Weekly.  The seasons though they come and go do almost always differ slightly in length and this is truth is one of the most remarkable parts of life.  Some seasons last longer than we think and we don't always see the change, from the one to the other. On the reverse side I have experienced seasons, which come and go quickly and unexpectedly, when I was hoping, that they would be around for longer.  This is why we need to be awake to what is going on around us and be ready to take our opportunities when they come.  Opportunity is part of every season, we just need to see it even if it is disguised.  Like how can winter have opportunities you would say? - it is cold and the days are short.  However, even in the days of long slog at work or in relationships when we feel we are not appreciated, or getting a rough deal or not receiving the rewards we deserve, still life is dishing out opportunities.  We may be in a time when we need to work hard to develop our skills sufficiently, or stay put and learn from a mentor, or teacher, or wait for our investment to grow.  We should never discount the tough times, because there are more opportunities in them, than we can imagine, or believe.  We just need to open ourselves to catch the wind as it moves and be prepared to last it out, until the sun shines again.  Our whole life becomes a navigation dotted with bright flowers and damp days.  We need a basic compass of principles to follow, like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control.  The more we fill it, the more we can look back and feel blessed, to have had the privilege to live and laugh and cry and to lead a full life. We owe it to ourselves to navigate the high seas and the doldrums without wind to carry us.  We need a rudder (or guide) and an anchor and we need to stay afloat no matter what.  The most important thing, is not to get to the end of life and not have tried to fill it with everything you can. Be brave to try to search, explore and develop the right attitude and then once you have this in your armory, you will be ready to select the right opportunities and navigate the rest of the way to a glorious celebration. No matter how many seasons in life we are given as allocated by our Maker, as long as we give it our all, we can enter our resting place, having celebrated a blooming good life!