What Spring Taught Me

This Spring brought more than flowers. Here’s what I’m carrying forward into summer, slowly, softly, and a little less perfectly.

I’ve been paying more attention to the seasons lately. Not in a poetic, tracking-the-moon kind of way (though I admire people who do that), but in the quiet, ordinary moments. The first morning I didn’t need a coat. The sudden burst of tulips outside in the garden. The way the light stretched into the evening and made everything feel just a bit more possible.

Spring used to come and go without much ceremony. When I was younger, it was just a countdown to summer, thinner layers, beer gardens, maybe a panicked gym visit. But this year, with 50 edging closer and my pace of life shifting, spring felt like something I actually lived through. I noticed it. And in noticing, I learned a few things.

Not lessons in the life-changing sense. No grand declarations. Just little realisations. Gentle reminders. And a few habits I hope to carry with me as we ease into the long, hazy days of summer.

I don’t need to launch into my day like I’m being chased

There was a morning in early April when I woke up before everyone else. Not to exercise. Not to journal. Not to “win the morning.” I just woke up early, opened the window, and sat with a cup of tea. No phone. No rush.

It felt lovely. Like I’d borrowed a few extra minutes of life before the day began.

I didn’t turn it into a routine (my relationship with routines is… complicated), but I did start giving myself more space in the mornings when I could. Even just five quiet minutes between the kettle boiling and the toast popping up.

It reminded me that not every day has to begin at full speed. Some mornings can start gently. And some mornings probably should.

Unfinished things don’t mean I’ve failed

If you walked into my house in May, you might have assumed we’d just moved in. Half-finished projects everywhere. The “seasonal” clothes swap half done. Pots of seedlings on the windowsill that never quite made it outside.

In the past, I’d have spiralled. The clutter. The undone-ness of it all. I used to measure my worth by how on top of things I was, and spring, with its sudden demand to declutter, refresh, plant, plan, and glow, was always quietly overwhelming.

But this year, I took a breath. I noticed the mess, but I didn’t turn it into a crisis. I thought, yes, it’s messy, and that’s OK. Life is often messy. Especially at this age, when we’re juggling a million things no one else sees.

Some things will stay unfinished for a while. That doesn’t mean I’ve failed. It means I’m human.

Energy is seasonal too

This spring brought a lot of stop-start energy. There were bursts of enthusiasm, days when I finally cleared a drawer or got out for a long walk, followed by periods where I felt totally flattened.

In the past, I might have questioned my productivity or told myself to “snap out of it.” But now, I’m starting to honour those dips instead of fighting them. I’m learning that my energy isn’t something I can schedule like a meeting. It’s fluid. And affected by things I can’t always control, hormones, sleep, stress, the weather, and the news.

So I let myself have slower days. I let some plans go. I stopped trying to be consistent in the way the world often demands. I was just… real.

And surprisingly, the world didn’t fall apart when I rested.

Being outside resets everything

One afternoon, I sat in the garden with a cup of tea and did absolutely nothing for about twenty minutes. No audiobook. No scrolling. No writing list after list of things I should be doing instead. Just sat, watched a bee bumbling around, and let my thoughts do what they do.

I came back inside feeling like I’d pressed some kind of internal reset button.

I used to think I had to do something outdoors for it to count, gardening, walking, power-striding my way to 10,000 steps. But lately I’ve realised that just being outside is enough. Letting the sunlight land on your face. Listening to the wind. Watching things grow.

Even a few minutes of that can shift something in me.

So I’ve been doing more of it. Not perfectly. Not daily. Just often enough to notice the difference.

What I’m carrying forward

Spring didn’t change my life, but it softened something in me.

It reminded me that small shifts can be meaningful. That I don’t have to fix or finish everything. Those quiet moments are allowed, and even necessary. I can listen to my energy and respect it without guilt.

And maybe most of all, it reminded me that I’m allowed to evolve at my own pace.

So as we move into summer, with its louder days, its uneven routines, its longer light, I’m holding onto those spring lessons like well-loved treasures in my pocket.

They don’t make the season easier. But they make me feel a little more grounded in it.

Your turn

How did this spring land with you? Did you feel any shifts in pace, energy, or mindset? Were there new habits that quietly emerged, or old ones that fell away?

I’d love to hear. Come chat with me over on Instagram – mylifeandstyleover40 or Facebook – Mylifeandstyleover40. I’m always up for a good seasonal reflection.

Take care, stay safe.

Becks xo