I have a pair of earrings that for many reasons hold a lot of meaning to me. They are two small terracotta tiles, on one there is a small painting of a key and on the other a rudimentary cage with a bird in it. My current circumstances often lead me to feeling like that caged bird and in trying to change my lot in life (primarily through writing), I'll often quip that I'm trying to find the key to my cage.

By the same token though, I often stand and watch the little birds and marvel at their courage to fly, sing and forage for food, when the odds seem so stacked against them - birds of prey, cats, harsh winds etc. I frequently ponder, that if I were a bird, I may risk starvation and remain huddled in the safety of my nest. Maybe remaining in the cage is a safer bet.

And It's not just our circumstances that threaten to incarcerate us. We may have built our own walls and barriers, in an attempt to keep us safe and invulnerable. My all time favourite winsome words, in a film, are delivered by George Peppard in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

'...You call yourself a free spirit - a wild thing - and you're terrified that somebody's gonna stick you in a cage, well baby, you're already in that cage. You built it yourself; it has no boundaries, it's wherever you go because no matter where you go, you only end up runnin' into yourself.'

I have long since cherished the words of Anais Nin: 'And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.'

Growth, especially through a depression, can be excruciating, slow and hard work. But just as we feel joy and relief when spring flowers come into bud and the harsh, darkness of winter begins to pass, when we take the risk to blossom, there is a healing; a Spring time in our hearts.

Suzy

A Moodscope user.