“Mommy, those are crocuses. Crocuses are habigers of Spring.”
I had to smile when I heard these words from the back seat. Mispronouncing harbinger was understandable: my 4.5 year old daughter hadn’t heard that expression since last March. I was frankly impressed she still remembered Crocuses!
My point in relating this is twofold. First, no matter where you are in the world, the seasons are shifting. These pictures make it look like Spring is in full bloom here in Baltimore, but this is a rogue cell between a sidewalk and a road that someone planted several years ago, and which has been nurtured with the love of passersby into an impressive, but very small field. In reality, I can walk blocks without seeing even buds on trees.
But if I pay attention, if I look hard enough, every way I turn I see the plant world responding to the longer days, the higher angle of the Sun, the thaw in their toes.
The other reason I mention this story is because many people would have laughed at me if they’d heard me last Spring telling my 3.5 year old that Crocuses were harbingers of Springtime. They would have said I was confusing her, going over hear head, wasting my breath.
But even if she hadn’t remembered the words, the effort would not have been wasted. Learning is a process, not a destination, and we learn what we see on the way. Some things stick easily, others take more time, but if we don’t start working towards things until we think we’re fully prepared for them, we’ll never get there.
So I have two challenges for you. The first is to find 5 clues in the natural world that the season is shifting. From the time of sunset to the new growth on plants, if you look around, you may be surprised.
The second is to start towards a goal you have held in your heart but shied away from. It doesn’t have to be a big step, but it doesn’t have to be a tiny one either. I want to be able to have in-depth conversations with my children, so I use real words and complete sentences when I talk with them. I try to keep the subject matter from being too scary or confusing, but other than that I talk to them the way I hope they will learn to talk to me.
Spring Re-Set
Shake off Winter’s icy hand and get ready for warmer nights, longer days and fun in the sun!
Nourish and tone your organs from the Inside Out with 8 oz of our Spring Cleaning Tonic (regular price $40). This alcohol-free potion contains Dandelion, Ginger, Turmeric, Black Pepper and Maracoc Oxymels (that is, extracts i…
What can you work towards from right where you are today? Where do you want to be? What do you want to know or change or be able to do?
Spring is a time of new beginnings, of rebirth. In the next few weeks, as the world yawns and stretches, set yourself up for the year you want!
