Walking through Central Park at this time of year is a constant reminder of the power of renewal that exists in nature. The trees are again green, the rain has generated lush grass on the lawns scattered here and there throughout the park, the birds are in full voice – a buzz of activity has returned in full force. As I walked across the park the other day, I ran into a woman who is there just about every morning and, over the years, she’s had with her a large sheepdog. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that she was in the park without her dog, and found myself wondering if the dog had become ill and couldn’t walk easily anymore or if the dog had died. Then, the other day, I noticed that she was walking with a new puppy, and my mind went to the theme of renewal, that those things we lose open the way for new things to be found. Seasons passing open the way for the next season.

All this got me to thinking about my relationship to the presence and inevitability of cycles of renewal – of the passing of what is now old or outworn and the emergence of what is new. It also got me to thinking about how I relate to these shifts that occur in every aspect of life. I wondered where I might struggle with inevitable change in cycles, and where I may either overlook or celebrate the renewal happening all around me all the time.

For example – and this may seem like a small, unimportant thing, but each moment and each choice reflects a larger tendency in ourselves – I burn a candle in my office each day as part of my way of staying centered and focused. I’ve had favorite candles over time, and I got to thinking about how I respond when I notice that a favorite candle is burning down and won’t be around for very much longer. I tend to take a moment to savor the beauty I have enjoyed with the candle, thank it for the pleasure it has brought me, and then go on to the next new candle with gratitude for its presence. But, there are times when I want to hold onto a particular experience of a particular candle because of its beauty, and that stance takes me out of my awareness of the cycle of renewal that is inevitable and unavoidable. The candle will burn down and I will have another to replace it. The other will be a new experience, just as each season is a new experience.

What I find is that I’m more comfortable when I allow myself to recall that cycles come and go and that the passing of one always indicates the emerging presence of another, that renewal of some sort is inherent in nature and in ourselves. When I’m pondering this sort of pattern, I think of the fires in Yellowstone Park that seem so destructive and yet these fires are the only way that certain pine cones can come to life and generate new trees. The renewal of the trees is inherent in the destruction caused by the fire. One thing passes and another comes.

For this week’s experiment, I invite you to explore your relationship with cycles of renewal. Notice if you tend to focus more on the passing of the old than the emerging of the new, or if you celebrate what’s coming next, even as you acknowledge and express gratitude for what is passing. Also notice what it’s like when you remember that renewal is a constant presence in every aspect of life. Our bodies constantly remake themselves in every moment. Each day is its own cycle of renewal as morning becomes afternoon becomes evening becomes night becomes the next morning.

As with all the experiments, this is an invitation to explore your relationship with your world, this time to notice where you offer yourself greater ease and where you may become caught up in struggling with what is. Remember to bring along curiosity as your companion and notice what happens to the quality of your experience when you focus on the inevitability of renewal of some kind in various arenas of your life.