Three Years: A Seismic Shift

Three years. A mere blink in the cosmic scheme, yet an eternity in human experience. It’s a span that can cradle the birth of a child, the construction of a home, or the ascent of a career. It's a timeframe that can also be a crucible, forging radical transformations within the soul.

I find myself pondering the nature of change, its insidious creep and its thunderous arrival. How does life, so seemingly constant, fracture and realign itself in such a short period? Is it a gentle evolution, or a cataclysmic upheaval? Perhaps it’s a combination of both, a slow burn ignited by a sudden spark.

In retrospect, the markers of time often seem arbitrary. Birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays divide our experiences into neat, manageable segments. But life doesn’t adhere to such constraints. Change can strike at any moment, indifferent to calendars and clocks. It might be a chance encounter, a health crisis, or a heart-wrenching loss. Or it could be a more subtle transformation, a gradual shift in values, priorities, or perspectives.

I think of the person I was three years ago. My hopes, fears, and dreams were different, yet undeniably connected to the person I am today. There are echoes of that earlier self, familiar notes in a newly composed symphony. But there are also entirely new movements, unexpected harmonies that have emerged from the chaos of change.

It's a humbling realization, this awareness of one’s own fluidity. I stood in the courthouse yesterday and thought about the shifts we are all being exposed to. To know that the person you are is constantly in flux, shaped and reshaped by countless variables. Yet, within this impermanence, there is also a profound sense of agency. We are not passive vessels carried along by the currents of time. We have the power to influence the direction of our lives, to shape our own transformations.

And so, I ponder. I reflect on the past, embrace the present, and gaze into the uncertain future with a mix of trepidation and excitement. For in the midst of life’s inevitable changes, there is also the promise of growth, discovery, and renewal, and in this are both the falling and the unfolding petals of love.

Love, like a delicate flower, unfolding over time. Three years is a generous bloom period, a span in which a tender bud can unfurl into a magnificent blossom. It's a journey of discovery, vulnerability, and profound transformation.

In the initial stages, love can feel like a gentle caress, a soft invitation to peel back layers of oneself. I wish that was the way we all experience it. For divine lovers the bloom is like the spark of fire that opens the pine cones. With each passing month, the courage to reveal more of one's inner world grows, like roots deepening into fertile soil the pine tree grows. Trust, like a vine, intertwines with the other, creating a strong foundation for the relationship.

Over three years, love becomes a mirror reflecting aspects of oneself previously unseen. I know how much had been overcome, yet even today the seed of jealousy shows up as thorns on my bloom. These thorns illuminate hidden strengths, vulnerabilities, and desires. With this newfound self-awareness comes a capacity for empathy and compassion, not only for the beloved divine lover, the collective community,  but also for oneself.

The heart, once perhaps guarded, gradually opens wider, becoming a vessel for immense joy, profound sorrow, and everything in between. It learns to withstand life's storms while maintaining its capacity for wonder and tenderness. Love, in its fullness, becomes a catalyst for personal growth, a force that shapes and reshapes the individual, leaving them forever changed.

In the tapestry of life, three years of love are threads woven with gold, creating a pattern of beauty, resilience, and enduring connection.

What specific changes have you experienced in the past three years? How have they impacted you?

Barbara xx