Spring is finally here. Calgary is a bit of a slow starter that way. Actually Spring sort of faked us out a few times, starting in March, with a mix of Spring and Winter weather. Winter doesn’t really stop for sure until Summer arrives. Even then, the weather always has a few surprises for us. It makes small-talk interesting.

Spring is beautiful in Calgary. It’s especially beautiful when the lilacs are in bloom, as they are now. Since only a few kinds of trees grow well in our challenging climate, I’m glad the lilac tree is one of them.

I passed a few lilacs on my walk this evening. I was amazed all over again at the intricate detail that Nature puts into all her works. Thousands of flower petals, all perfectly arranged, all symmetrical, with absolutely no effort or planning. To recreate a synthetic lilac tree using silk and plastic would take forever. Nature does it without even thinking.

That’s the beautiful thing about Nature’s growth: it just is. It doesn’t have to try, or work hard, or worry about failure. Nature’s beauty comes from simply being what it is.

As I work on my life, my growth, my business and my other plans, it seems to take a lot of effort. I have to organize, write stuff down, make calls and rely on people that may or may not come through as planned. I do a lot of thinking about what I want to accomplish based on my heart-felt passions and best abilities, and then try to do what I can.

Why? Because sometimes I forget who and what I truly am. I lose touch with the truth of my identity as a spiritual, divine being having a human experience. I get so wrapped up in the human experience that I think I have to make and control everything physically.

When I let go of this neuroticism, and remember my original identity, I can behave more like the lilac tree: simply allowing the greatness in my spiritual nature to manifest itself in outward form.

I still do stuff. But instead of trying so hard, I relax a bit first, remember my true nature, and then show up at my work with an attitude of being and allowing. I let my passions inspire me to do what I’m best at. I notice opportunities to have fun doing what I most naturally do.

I can’t say that describes most of my life just yet. But this evening, as I listened to the lilac trees, I was reminded that a simpler way of being is possible.

Life feels so much easier when I can stop being what I’m not, allow myself to be who I really am, and then let my actions reflect that. The trick is to let that happen every day.