Signs of Spring...

So I've taken these last few months off...and what a hiatus it has been...First Canada and all of its magnificent experiences and then my sign hobby---or 'fetish' as one obnoxious pal called it. I roam around taking pictures of streetsigns....which is quite Zen actually and makes you very aware of your surroundings. The weird thing is that I started feeling guilty about my mini-roadtrips thinking I was slacking in my job search....but then just as I was about to give up and was feeling silly (in part due to the fetish comment, too) the song 'Signs' by the Stones came on the radio...so I figured---what the hell? Follow the signs and maybe inspiration will come as to what will be my next big life move.

One new friend and I have been talking a lot about the signs of Spring...robins, cardinals and crocuses primarily. He sent me a sweet email saying that he saw a cardinal and said he told him to fly my way and say hello. That same day---an hour later in fact---a cardinal flew right in front of my car. And then later in the day as I was wondering if it was perhaps a robin or really a cardinal I had seen...two seconds later I saw a pair of cardinals. This same friend asked if I had read, "Hope for the Flowers"....READ IT??? I brought it to the tattoo parlor on my 30th birthday and had the guy design my butterfly tat from that book I love it so much.

I mean---it's pretty much only my favorite freakin' book...EVER.

So these little moments of grace and serenity keep popping up...(including actual street signs that say both Serenity and Grace). I've always been a huge believer in signs anyway...and my new hobby (calling?---hehe) just confirms that the universe has these incredibly mysterious ways of 'talking' to us...if we are prepared to listen...then the effects are often profound or at the very least humorous. One of my favorite signs I've snapped recently is "My Way"...Gotta love the town planner who had a sense of humor enough to let that one slip through.

Had a great Easter---spent it and my birthday with my sis and bro-in-law and my parents...It was a gorgeous day and that's when I snapped the pic of crocuses above. We had so much fun with the kids and that old cliche statement that they 'grow up so fast' is totally right on...Circle of life, eh?

Sometimes when we are lost, signs point the way. It could be an actual sign, a bird, some flowers, or an offhand comment from a friend...whether it is one that wounds or uplifts. They are all designed to reassure you that you are a part of something larger or to point out where your sore spots are and where more healing is needed. I have another friend for whom shooting stars and FedEx trucks are the ultimate harbingers of good fortune or change. Growing up, I remember when we'd go on road trips my parents would kiss whenever we passed a sign entering a new state. I think I even learned how to read using road signs, speeding by them added a challenge to sounding out syllables...but made the victories sweeter in the end.

Fetish, hobby, meditation...doesn't really matter. I'm just trusting and following the signs on whatever journey they lead me. Allowing yourself to go with this flow of life is a sign of strength. Feeling the buzz of something that speaks to you is a sign of intuition getting sharper. Moving into the grace of the moment is a sign of growth and renewal and ultimately the only thing that matters.

A job will come, the path will reveal itself and in the meantime...I'll just keep looking up.