SPRINGING

The other day I took my mother-in-law for a doctor’s appointment.  In a few months this lady will celebrate her 99^th birthday, although if you met her at the grocery store or the post office you would not guess that she is that old.  I only mention her age to point out how many springs she has welcomed in her life ... and how even after nearly a century’s worth the thrill has not worn off.

Her very words as we left the clinic were “Just smell that air!  Doesn’t it smell good?”  I agreed whole-heartedly; it sure did.  March doesn’t look all that pretty with its dirty snow and muddy yards, but the air hints at warmth, and awakening, and potential.  Soon there will be geese flying overhead, gophers popping up in the ditches, robins looking for nest construction materials: in this symphony of prairie life we are hearing the first soft notes of rebirth.

Google’s morning meme today – the legal First Day of Spring – drilled down into all kinds of technical information on what that means.  Today is also called the Vernal Equinox – vernal for ‘spring’ and ‘equinox’ because today there are ‘equal’ parts of daylight and darkness.  I had known that part, but had not realized that this is true for the whole planet, from the Arctic to the Antarctic and all latitudes in between.  That’s kind of cool.  Today is also when the sun’s center crosses Earth’s celestial equator from south to north due to the wobble of our axis which is the whole reason we get seasons to begin with. 

Okay, enough with the nerd stuff – I promise there will be no quiz on this.  I just thought I would give the scientific explanation of what’s going on.

Much more importantly is how we respond.  Not on the intellectual level, although of course farmers are finalizing their seeding plans and home owners are making sure their sump pumps are set up and ready to roll, but on the spiritual level – where our spirits are lifted by warmth, our mood brightened by the sunshine, our souls rejuvenated with fresh air – the kind that doesn’t hurt our faces.

There are so many things on my ‘to do’ list! 

I can’t wait to hang laundry out on the clothes line to dry!  I love that no fossil fuels are being burned.  I love that I’m saving money as well as the planet.  And I love love love the smell Mother Nature permeates those clothes with.  Win.  Win.  Win.

The dog and I are very excited about going for real walks down a real road, out in the fresh air and sunshine.  The winter is too cold and slippery for that to happen, and right now the muddy roads hold me back, but soon, very soon, this going to happen.

There are already green blades of grass where the sun has warmed up small nooks and crannies of soil.  Nothing repairs the freezer burn on the human psyche like the colour green.  Dandelions will soon follow; they are much easier to tolerate when they are the only flowers out there.

I’m even looking forward to cleaning up the ‘dog residue’ scattered all over the yard.  Whatever was left over from last fall’s hunting season was gifted to the dog.  He and his buddy have spent the winter chewing on these bones, displaying their trophies on the front lawn, and burying their precious treasures.  Between these lawnmower hazards and the usual stinky stuff dogs leave behind, I will have a full day’s job cleaning up.  It’s not a very nice job but an entire day of worthwhile work, as long as it’s outdoors, is something I look forward to.

Best of all, though, is when it’s finally dry enough and warm enough to go out and play in the dirt.  It’s what we all live for.

I guess I think of ‘Spring’ not as a noun, but as a verb.  I have a lot of ‘Springing’ I want to do.  Thank goodness Mother Nature has finally opened that door ....