I was sitting here on Sunday afternoon, thinking about cycles, and stages, and phases. I was thinking about how the last couple of months of my life have been about sickness, about convalescence, and then about recuperation.
I was trying to come up with a word that would encapsulate, and embody, what I would like my next few months to be about. I feel that I need to get back to myself, as if I have in some way been absent from some fundamental aspects of what constitutes my ‘self’: from the things that make me feel whole, and nourished, and that bring joy and laughter into my life.
And then I found the word I was looking for. A resurgence.
re·sur·gence
noun
-
A rising again into life, activity, or prominence; a renascence; a renewal.
- A restoration to use, acceptance, activity, or vigour; a revival.
A rising again into life, a restoration into vigour. Thinking about the next few months in these terms, it became clearer to me the things I can do to get back to myself, to rediscover the pleasure and joy and richness of my life.
And in the way that a word, once uncovered, often leads to another, it also occurred to me that a renaissance is also an apposite metaphor for what I am trying to grasp here:
- re·na·scence
noun.
- A new birth or life; a rebirth.
- A cultural revival; a renaissance.
To revive myself, I am going to begin again doing the things that nourish my body and my soul. I restarted my yoga practice last week, and I am going to gradually increase that until I get back to the almost daily practice of my pre-illness self. I have also just booked to go on a yoga retreat next month, to which I am looking forward immensely.
A cultural revival: today I spent some time wandering around the gallery where I work. I was struck, as I am every time I do this, how incredibly fortunate I am to be surrounded by such a wealth of interesting art. I am going to nourish my creative self this autumn by spending more time visiting other galleries and seeing more art.
But most of all, I am going to re-invigorate the relationships with the most important people in my life. After all, as Tolstoy wrote, we must ‘seize the moments of happiness, love and be loved!’
Dear princess! What an inspiring post!I found my self deeply moved by it and put into a very reflective mood and honestly quite speechless. There is nothing left to say- but thank you!
And may you get well and even better than you were before. And i hope you will gain strength and growth from the testing times and the times of resurgence.
So glad you found out exactly what you need to do to live a fulfilled life you want. Very well said and I truly wish you the best on your journey. Now, off to do my own soul searching!
What a splendid vista to aid your reflection. Full of sheepy goodness too.
September is such a good month for both resurgence and renaissance. You can capture that ‘back to school’ feel that’s in the air. It’s a lovely time of year, with lots of autumny goodness to look forward. I’m glad you’re going to embrace it with your revival strategy.
I think a lot of people miss the importance of self-reflection and of really focusing on what is important so yay you for doing this and of sharing it with us – sometimes I need a prod from someone else to remember these things. Thanks!
fabulous, energising words – I am going to paste “resurgence” onto my mirror for this month.
Thanks, Princess Pea – enjoy your yoga retreat 😉
I think that sitting on such a hillside could not but bring you back to your best self. I’m looking forward to reading about your creative and spiritual nourishment.
Thank you for that post, I need to slow down and appreciate small stuff so that has really helped me think. I’d like to do yoga, do you have a teacher or DVD/book?
Wonderful, inspiring post.
I just wanted to walk into that photo and sit in the grass. Glad you’re feeling better.
Thank you for that. Beautifully worded, honest and inspiring!