Understanding & Accepting the Seasons of Life

Over Memorial Day weekend I found myself scrolling through Instagram feeling jealous and dissatisfied. Why? Because 5-6 people I knew were abroad during the long weekend. A few in Greece and some doing a longer European tour, and after seeing their videos and stories I immediately became dissatisfied with my long weekend.

Ugh, I wish I was in Greece I told Brendan, or really any cool country. (I’m sure I said this while laying in bed in my pajamas haha). I had fallen right into the comparison trap that is social media. And yes, I do know better. I do know that more often than not we only share the good things. I’m guilty of it myself. When we went to Colorado did I share a photo of me getting pouty in the Denver airport waiting for our bags at midnight because they somehow went to Chicago even though we flew directly from GR? Hell no. I shared photos after the trip of our beautiful hike. So yes, I get it. But I still fall victim to the “I wish I was/I wish I had…”

I go back and forth about deleting social media all the time, but at the end of the day I always keep it around because I like connecting with people on there, love seeing photos when my friends + family travel, love finding inspiration, and I do like having this blog (most days). Because of this I am working to be more intentional with it, so I don’t continually think about where I wish I was, or what I wish I had.

I need to be more present and embrace wherever my life is that day.

And part of embracing wherever my life is daily means understanding and accepting that just like nature, there will be seasons in life.

“I believe in process. I believe in four seasons. I believe that winter’s tough, but spring’s coming. I believe that there’s a growing season. And I think that you realize that in life, you grow. You get better.” (Steve Southerland)

There will be seasons of growth, seasons of struggle, seasons where you feel like you’re working a ton but it still isn’t enough and why in the world is everyone traveling abroad this summer. Seasons where fitness and health have to take a backseat, seasons where you’re thrown out of your comfort zone. But then there will be seasons where it feels like everything is working out, where all the hard work you put in is finally paying off, where you feel like you’re right where you need to be. Seasons of celebration, seasons of joy, seasons of triumph. That’s not to say each season is either good or bad. Absolutely not. Each season will have it’s pros and cons, as with most things in life.

Once I realized and began to accept this fact, it became easier. Instead of saying to myself “I wish I was…” I’ll say to myself “I can’t wait until I can go to.” Then it becomes something exciting to work toward in the future, instead of something I’m lacking now (definitely need to stay OUT of the scarcity mindset).

And now, as summer comes to a close, I have found myself referencing these “seasons” to friends who are unsatisfied at jobs, or struggling with a specific issue, or working to make their next move. It’s no secret that 2019 has had some challenging times. Weirdly enough, I feel like I have a pattern of challenging odd numbered years and smoother even numbered years, so while I want to enjoy every last second of 2019, when 2020 rolls around I’ll be ready.

I found this article while finishing up today’s blog post, and if you’re looking to understand more about the seasons we all go through, I’d recommend giving it a read.

“When we embrace every season of our lives fully, and stop resisting, we become more alive.”
Zaid K. Dahhaj

Cheers to whatever season you’re in my friends. I’d love to hear where you are in life – let me know in the comments below.
xo, Maddy

Real quick side note on this dress – I randomly got it at H&M and can’t say enough good things. I’ve worn it a handful of times these past few weeks, but can’t wait to layer a black turtleneck underneath and add some ankle boots when it cools down. 🙂

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