HAPPY SPRING!
A reminder: Please see our updated websites at www.theshulmancenter.com and associated links. Thanks.
Our 2nd International Conference on Theft Addictions & Disorders is set for Friday October 26 – Sunday October 28, 2007 in the Los Angeles area. Further details will be available on our websites by May 1st and in our May e-Newsletter.
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SPRING HAS SPRUNG!
WHAT’S SPROUTING IN YOUR LIFE?
by Terrence Daryl Shulman, JD,LMSW,ACSW,CAC,CPC
Wherever you live–even if the season’s change lacks drama–Spring is traditionally a time of rebirth and renewal. The coming holidays of Passover and Easter also set the table for these themse. After a long (and often cold and dark) Winter, we have an opportunity to bloom again. Take a moment to reflect back on your Winter. Did you hibernate or rest? Did you go within to heal or soul-search? And as for Spring: what’s sprouting in your life?
I’m talking more than about New Year’s resolutions (if you even made any). I’m talking about opening up our windows (to our homes and to our souls) and letting some fresh air in! I’m talking about cleaning out our closets (literally and figuretively). My wife and I just completed several days of Spring cleaning of our home, donated a bunch of stuff to charity, and changed our front storm door to a screen door. It felt–and feels–really good!
I know when I have a more clean, less cluttered environment I feel lighter, more organized, more uplifted. I strongly encourage anyone struggling with depression or a lack of energy or motivation to do one’s best to do even a little cleaning or organizing project. Gardening or yardwork is great for the soul, too. Getting one’s hands in some dirt, nurturing life, trimming the hedges so to speak, can be very grounding. And fresh air and exercise can only help us get energized.
So what’s sprouting in your life? New work? New health? New relationships? Deeper recovery? New projects, hobbies, endeavors? What’s budding inside of you, aching to heal, aching to grow, aching to expand? Name it and claim it!
For me, this Winter was fruitful in that I got found revealed new and more disturbing depths of anger and rage in my heart. I did some more healing work around this. I also broke through my difficulty in losing weight and developing a consistent exercise routine. Since January 1st I’ve lost 12 pounds, have been exercising at my local health club nearly daily, and have moderated what I eat, how often I eat, and the portions of what I eat. I also received assistance from a personal trainer for the first month of my exercise regimen and have benefitted from immersing myself in the study of “The Secret” (the DVD, CDs, and book on “the law of attraction”).
I’m excited about my impending trip to Los Angeles to visit my younger brother and to scope out locations for our Fall conference and I’m excited about my growing knowlege of shopping and spending disorders and my ability to assist others in understanding and overcoming them. I’m excited and nervous about the possibility of having children in my life–my stepsister’s illness may lead to my wife and I helping her raise two of her kids. I’m excited about helping to co-create and co-facilitate a men’s retreat weekend in early October.
Yes, Spring is in the air. Can you feel it? What’s sprouting in your life? What seeds have you planted–intentionally or unconsciously–that need tending to? Take some time to embrace life as it is and as it can be. The birds don’t sing because they have to–they sing because they have a song. What’s your song? If you don’t know. Find someone who can help you discover it. And, again, start with some simple movement and some cleaning and gardening!