Mud season and liminal spaces

It's officially mud season in Vermont. Mud season is a "season between seasons," occurring between winter and spring, when the snows melt and saturate the thawing soil, creating muddy trails and roads. I live on a dirt road here, and there is already one deep divot where someone unused to driving in the mud got up a little bit too much speed and sunk in.

It's an interesting feeling for me, that as nature seems to wake up and grow, I feel myself slowing down and taking a breath. Winter is a busy season for me, and as that activity dies down, other activities ramp up and call my attention. This year especially, I find myself deeply cherishing this in between space. It feels like waking up, stretching, and then taking another moment in bed because there's nothing to do.

Our world is a hectic place, and there are more things than ever calling our attention. I am taking a cue from the seasons this month, and finding the spaciousness within this micro-season, which encourages me to both wake up and slow down at the same time. It reminds me that power doesn't have to be a burst of energy. Power can be gentle, settling, calming. In the same way that a lion spirit is not more powerful than a mouse spirit, gentle power is no less powerful.

I encourage you to pay attention to the time between time. See if you can find the gentle power in these liminal spaces. We have them every day, in the time before sunrise, in the twilight. See if you can sense the gentle power.