The swelling has begun. Dew has replaced frost. The green shoots of crocus and daffodils stretch up toward the increasing sunlight. The earth yawns as it stirs awake from its winter of rest. Spring is at hand.

Sometimes, it's hard to let go of winter's quiet. We need more rest. Still, nature moves with her cyclic pace through the seasons and spring draws near. As the days lengthen, life will become increasingly full and active. We'll be pulled toward the outdoors as the pastel beauty of nature bursts free.

Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth - where possibility hangs in the air. It is a time for planting the seeds that will grow and nurture us through the year. What shall we plant this year? What new idea or behavior or dream do we want to cultivate and tend? How shall we ground our lives in those things that are most important to us?

Sometimes we know what seeds we want to sow. Sometimes the options are overwhelming. Yet whether our goals are clear or undecided, there are things that must be done before we can plant. We must clear a space.

Just as we need to clear a plot of land to plant our seedlings, so we need to clear our minds and hearts before we choose what to cultivate for our souls. One way to help clear our minds is to engage in spring-cleaning. Not the kind of cleaning that's about washing floors and windows, but the kind that involves closets and drawers and garages. 

There is a certain energy that the coming of spring carries to us. We start thinking of all the things that need doing - all those projects that didn't get done last year. And it's hard to know where to begin. It helps to create your own clean slate. You can begin by clearing the clutter in the space around you. 

What kinds of clutter have accumulated in your life over the last year - or more? Are there things taking up space in your home or car that you don't really use or need anymore? Are there loose ends and unfinished business that distract you away from what you want to be doing? Are there relationships or habits that don't make sense anymore? What kinds of things are scattered about that no longer serve you and the life you want to live? Let Go! Make room for new life to come to you. 

There is something incredibly liberating about letting things go. Somehow, the exercise of clearing the physical space seems to free up and clear the mind helping it to let go of old ideas and habits that just don't fit anymore. You begin to open up to a new sense of possibility. And in that moment, your heart can make a wish for something it has wanted for a long time. 

That's when you plant the seed. Root your feet firmly in the ground of spring. Look out toward the harvest of autumn. See your wish coming true. And nurture it through the year.