My name is Janet and I am a Spring-aholic. I come by it naturally: I was born in the Spring and from probably birth, my mother would tell me what a glorious day it was when I was born. Perhaps if I had been born in the middle of a snowstorm I would be more of a winter fan, but for me its sunshine, blue skies, warm breezes and blooming forsythias that set my heart a flutter. There is something about seeing the trees go from dull gray to a hint of red or yellow to a spring green to full blown “leafdom” that never fails to fill me with awe. From apparent nothing to a very beautiful something – how cool is that?!
So it is very curious to me that I have found myself keeping intensely busy over the past 3 glorious days of early Spring and unable to get out and enjoy it. I have barely even looked outside. Once again, it is my dog who is the vehicle by which I am brought back into what is real and important. As the kids are now busy after school with spring sports, my very clever dog-walking responsibility schedule that had been working beautifully has now gone, well, to the dogs. This week she has pretty much had to fend for herself, with at least the door open to the backyard at her whim. Today I couldn’t walk past those pleading looks any longer and grabbed the leash.
Guess what? It’s Spring out there! I saw crocuses in bloom and hyacinths pushing their way sunward. There are birds singing and busily flying about, creating their new abodes. The dull brown lawns are a shade greener. And the sun….ah, the glorious sun: Warmer, hanging around longer, inviting people to come out to play.
I’m still not sure why I’ve been avoiding that which brings me tremendous joy. There is that nagging voice that keeps reminding me that “this too shall pass”, that we are hardly out of winter’s grasp. And while that is sadly true, at least for today I choose to let down my resistance and succumb to my annual season addiction. I’m a Spring-aholic and proud of it.
Now let’s just hope there’s no one out there named “Spring” that will take umbrage with this…
