{"id":296,"date":"2022-03-20T18:16:54","date_gmt":"2022-03-20T18:16:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lagoodman.com\/blog\/?p=296"},"modified":"2022-03-20T18:18:44","modified_gmt":"2022-03-20T18:18:44","slug":"spring-is-upon-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/lagoodman.com\/blog\/index.php\/2022\/03\/20\/spring-is-upon-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring Is Upon Us"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Spring is upon us. This is my favorite time of the year, when everything starts to bloom and green. Summer is great. Fall is equally great. But Spring, that\u2019s when my corner of the world begins to wake up, dress up, and put its best foot forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yards turn green. Barren trees put on leaves. Bulbs and seeds begin to sprout up from the earth with impending blooms of every color imaginable. It\u2019s an awakening of the space around us and I am absolutely here for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of us has those moments every now and then when we begin to view things through a different lens, an awakening, of sorts. Some of us have them more than others if we aren\u2019t stubbornly and immovably set in our ways. Personally, I value a good epiphany, a moment of clarity or realization that forces me to see something in a different light, alter a previous opinion, or learn to value a different point of view than my own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like a few of the characters in my stories, there was a time I viewed much of the world around me in black and white terms. I was boxed into a certain way of thinking. As I\u2019ve grown older, I\u2019ve learned nothing is so simple as many institutions might have us believe. I\u2019ve become more openminded, less judgmental, more empathetic, and able to put myself in someone else\u2019s shoes. I don\u2019t feel the need to vocalize agreements or disagreements, nor do I need to be right<\/em> all the time or prove others wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In all these ways I\u2019m still evolving, and I like that I\u2019m able<\/em> to evolve and progress toward love and acceptance rather than the alternative. So many people remain steadfast in their fear, distaste, or flat-out hate of anything other<\/em>. There\u2019s too much negativity in the world, and too many people who are comfortable being extremely vocal about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think my own continuing evolution to be better and do better toward my fellow human beings is why I\u2019ve made these concepts a theme in Ash\u2019s story. We\u2019re all capable of change, both positive and negative. The world is complicated. Individually, we\u2019re complex, many-layered beings. What a disservice to our fellow humans to judge their journey through life in any way, much less a way that begets hatred or fear, discrimination or dehumanization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spring is upon us. The space around me is waking up, starting a new journey, creating new beauty everywhere I look. Today\u2019s high is a lovely 77 degrees. There\u2019s also the possibility of snow this week. And if that isn\u2019t Mother Nature teaching us a lesson about life, I don\u2019t know what is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All we can do is keep trying to be better toward each other. We may run into snags here and there. None of us are perfect, but we can try<\/em> to simply be kind and thoughtful and accepting, even of those we may not fully understand or agree with. My hope is that all of us at least try to weather the random snow storm and continue to add beauty to the world in spite of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love and light, my friends!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

L.A. Goodman<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Old Souls, an Ash Bennett story, book 1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nothing Place, an Ash Bennett story, book 2<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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