What the fleeting beauty of spring has to teach us about impermanence.

I have this ritual. It’s simple and just for me. It’s a ritual I do every spring. A little practice I do for the sheer pleasure of it, for the uncomplicated joy it brings me. I do it because it lands me back in my body, grounds me in the present moment and reminds me that life is precious and oh so brief.

My spring ritual is quite simply that I stop and smell the lilacs. Every lilac I encounter, I stop. I pause. I breathe deeply. I take in the sweet, gentle scent of lilacs. 

I perform this small ritual when I’m casually strolling the streets and when I’m in a hurry. I do it if someone is watching, if I’m with a friend, or if I’m all alone. I do it when the sky is threatening rain or a bright spring blue. I do it if my heart is heavy or if my spirits are high. For just that moment, I put all else aside and choose to bask in the glory of a perfect spring blossom at the height of its beauty and vitality. 

I do it because lilacs, like the spring, are with us for such a short time. Seemingly overnight, in a burst of life and fertility, the air is filled with the scents and sights of spring. Of blooming. Of colour. Of fragrance. And then just as quickly, it all fades away into the heat of summer. Spring has a way of reminding us how fleeting and how precious life is. It reminds us of the beauty, the power and the delicacy of our own lives. 

I want to build a life where I make time to notice the beauty of each fleeting moment. I want to notice the seasons as they change. I want to create habits and rituals that teach me to pause, to be present, to experience the richness that life offers us each day. I want to cultivate a practice of noticing and accepting the impermanence of all things.

We cannot hold onto the beauty of spring. We cannot grasp on to this moment, this feeling, this sensation. All we can do is be here now. Fully present to the experience, to the emotions, to the wonders.

We can pause to notice how the sun filters down through the leaves, casting dappled shadows. We can notice how the petals float and twirl and sway as they drift slowly in the breeze. We can notice how the gentle spring sun warms our limbs. We can notice how the scent of lilac perfumes the air. We can learn to appreciate these fleeting moments exactly as they are without wanting more. We can love them, appreciate them, and let them go. 

The practice of non-attachment teaches us to embrace the ever changing nature of reality. To acknowledge and accept that no thought, no feeling, no sensation, no substance is permanent. Everything is constantly arising and falling away. Everything in this life, this physical reality, is impermanent. Suffering arises when we attach our happiness, our sense of safety, our understanding of the world to the idea that things will remain the same. Releasing our hold on the desire for permanence is the ultimate freedom, the ultimate liberation from suffering. 

Spring offers us a time to gently, lovingly practice non-attachment and embrace impermanence.

By engaging with these spring blossoms we can practice being fully present to what is. Fully enjoying, appreciating, experiencing the beauty and vitality of spring while it is here, and gently letting go of any attachments as the blossoms begin to fall. 

I encourage you to fine a moment to pause to notice what is special or beautiful in your part of the world right now. Perhaps you'll stop to smell a flower, watch a busy bee, or gaze at the stars. The a moment to fully soak in the wonder, the improbable fortune of experiencing the fleeting beauty of the moment, and then simply let it go. 

May we all find peace,

Lauren