I Thought Summer Would Arrive Around Me

As the days became longer and the light slowly returned, I found myself looking forward to spring with so much hope.

I thought more sunlight would automatically bring more energy.
More clarity.
More creativity.
More joy.

Maybe you've felt that too.

As if a new season is somehow supposed to change everything.

But this spring unfolded differently than I expected.

Life became beautifully and painfully full.

There were moments of deep joy. Moments that filled my heart with gratitude and pride. At the very same time, there were moments of uncertainty, difficult decisions, change and letting go. As a mother, I found myself holding space for the people I love most while also trying to stay connected to myself. As a family, we began wondering whether one chapter of our lives might be coming to an end, making room for another.

Somewhere in the middle of it all, I noticed something surprising.

I was waiting for the season to change me. I kept thinking, "Maybe when summer arrives..."

But life gently reminded me that nature changing around us doesn't automatically change what's happening within us.

Perhaps we're not meant to bloom simply because the calendar says it's spring.

Perhaps every season has its own timing.

Around the same time, I came across a beautiful reflection that described this season as one that can bring uncertainty, hesitation and self-doubt. I smiled when I read those words because they resonated so deeply with my own experience.

But the reflection didn't stop there.

It also reminded me that beneath all the uncertainty lives something else: Our intuition.

The quiet wisdom that often becomes easier to hear when we stop trying to force life into the shape we imagined.

That stayed with me.

The more I tried to push myself into feeling inspired, the further away it seemed.

What slowly changed wasn't my circumstances. It was my relationship with them.

I stopped asking myself,

"When will I finally feel different?"

And instead I began asking,

"How can I bring more of who I already am into the world?"

That question has changed something in me.

Because maybe growth isn't always about becoming someone new.

Maybe it's about trusting the person life has already been shaping.

Through joy.

Through uncertainty.

Through love.

Through change.

Through all the seasons that don't look the way we imagined they would.

I've also realised that creativity isn't something I find by chasing it.

It returns when I create space.

When I breathe.

When I slow down.

When I soften my expectations.

When I stop demanding answers and simply listen.

Whether or not we think in terms of seasons or symbolism, I love this reflection:

There comes a point where we stop constantly trying to improve ourselves...

...and begin sharing more of who we already are.

Maybe this summer isn't asking you to reinvent yourself.

Maybe it's simply inviting you to trust yourself a little more and to bring more of your true self into the world.

With warmth,

Karítas 🤍