Photo: D. Paul Graham, “New Growth In Bloom” circa 2018

“Monday 5 Things”™….. Spring Has Sprung …..

Ohhh what a long Spring weekend we had. After a 2-year virus hiatus, a parade of green returned to our beloved Savannah. A full moon that literally lit up the night sky. Sitting on the deck in the cool air of the early morn, hands wrapped around cups as we savored the smell and taste of fresh brewed coffee.  Honest conversation of life’s most important, intentional, and intimate dispositions, desires, and dreams. Silently watching God use the dawn light to brush golden hues unhurriedly yet deliberately through the Spanish moss and over the coastal marsh. Breakfast of a decidedly Australian theme in a favorite restaurant that left no room for lunch hours later. Notes of Bach’s musical genius echoing off the walls of a church built in 1843. Washing a thin cloak of yellow pollen off the cars. Fellowship and laughter with the best of friends; spending a brilliant Sunday morning appreciating pancakes and ponderings, finally understanding the cult of pickleball, and rejoicing as Ferrari swept onto the podium for P1 and P2 in Bahrain. Spring has sprung. Metaphorically and literally. And to that end, this morning’s M5T considers Spring, and more pointedly, spring-cleaning.

1. Simplify.

Spring is a perfect time to take stock of what could be simplified in our lives. A season to declutter your house, your car, your closets, your pantries, your thoughts. To eat less. To learn to say no more often. To unsubscribe from unread mailing lists and unused monthly subscriptions. To avoid opening too many tabs on your computer. To stop procrastinating. To Do it, delegate it, digitize it, or delete it. To spend less. To be deliberate. To have a simple morning routine that gets you going.

2. Shine.

Become intentional to shine up your attitude. Let the basis of your faith shine through in your actions not your words. Express gratitude. Encourage others. Use fewer empty words and be honest with what you really mean. Integrate the ‘Thumper Principal’ into your life and relationships. Embrace your passions. Focus on your strengths and learn from failure. Surround yourself with beautiful things that please you.

3. Sweep.

Scour, scrub and sanitize yourself from bad habits, gossip, negative thoughts, and noxious people. Sandblast as necessary. Pick up your baggage and realign, rebuff, repack, or remove as realized. Understand your trigger points for stress. Deal with unresolved matters.

4. Shift.

Take a good look at your calendar to understand where, how, and who you are spending time with. Shift to focusing on the people and activities that build energy into your life. Discover new ways to refresh and recharge your mind body and soul. Consider a digital detox. Carve out time to brain dump, to pray, to purely focus on you. Recognize and act on what you can change and accept and let go of things you can’t change.

5. Savor.

Appreciate the gifts of all you have and everyone that is in your life. Be in the moment but be flexible. Find ways to celebrate you. Every day. Slow down at meals. Deeply inhale the smell of your food. Hold the wine in your mouth a little longer before you swallow. Love. Laugh, sing, and dance without remorse. Recognize those moments that are best captured with your mind, not your phone. Inhale the day by deeply drinking in the fresh cool air of the golden hour of sunrise. Exhale the day by being still and allowing the calm and delicate blue hour of sunset to envelop you. Always, always leave room for magic.

Here’s to the freshness of renewal and growth found in Spring and to a week of cleaning as necessary.

© 2022 D. Paul Graham, all rights reserved.

For over 10 years, D. Paul Graham has published “Monday 5 Things” ™, also known to readers as M5T ™.  Each Monday, Paul shares his observations, thoughts and passions on people, life, and culture.

You can find M5T each Monday here on www.southmag.com and by friending D. Paul Graham on Facebook. Paul is a contributing photographer to South Magazine. His photographic work can also be found on Instagram @dpgraham and at www.imageGRAHAM.com . Your feedback is always welcome. Email Paul at dpg@imagegraham.com