Reinvent for Retirement Lesson #6: To Everything There is a Season

The temperature today is 85 degrees.  In the midst of this heat and with flowers in bloom, it is hard to believe that just a few short months ago our garden was buried under a foot of snow. Of course, five months from now, when the flowers have long since faded and there is frost on the grass, it will be equally difficult to remember the brilliant colors of a summer day.

While I prefer the beauty of spring to the starkness of winter, I take great comfort in knowing the garden will cycle through the same predictable patterns each year. The seeds planted in March will germinate in April, bloom in June, wither in September and be covered by snow in December.  There will be no visible signs of life during the dark days of winter, and then come March, the tiny crocuses will appear to begin the cycle anew.

The cyclical nature of the seasons offers a poignant reminder to maintain a balanced perspective as we navigate the highs and lows of our daily working lives. No matter how successful we are, we all experience our personal “dark days of winter”; moments when it seems that nothing is right and the future looks bleak.

Retirement can be challenging. But it helps to remember that moments of adversity can be the catalyst that force a new and better chapter to unfold. So celebrate the successes, nurture yourself during the tough times, and remember to always look for the small but critical “cracks in the dirt” where you can plant the seeds of new beginnings.