It has felt like a very long winter, but finally the signs of spring are in full swing. I heard spring peepers for the first time two nights ago, and this morning I found these daffodils and a few other brave plant souls poking their green heads up out of the leaf mulch I leave for them as winter protection. And in spite of a ton of rain, songbirds are arriving at the feeders, singing their cheerful calls, ready for the season.
I have to say the sight of fresh, green leaves and the sounds of the birds and frogs has really boosted my own spirits. Sometimes I wish I could go to sleep for the winter, too, just cover myself up in a bed of leaves, or dig down deep into the earth and wake up to new warmth and light. But we humans don’t really have that luxury.
Although in some ways I do go into a form of hibernation, as it feels like certain parts of me shut down in the winter, like old pipes that sometimes freeze up or an engine that just won’t start. It feels harder to write or paint, to take photographs, like everything is somehow slowed or stunted by the cold and snow.
But spring is on the horizon again and like everything else, I am shaking off my icy crust.
I feel hopeful about this coming year, in a way I haven’t for a long time. I realized recently that I’d been living under a shadow, a black cloud, for the past several years. And even though there were times then when I was happy, that cloud was always there above me, waiting. It will be very interesting to see what my life is like now without it’s presence, what it will become, and what new experiences await. I feel as if I’m emerging too, like the birds and daffodils, ready for all the growth and light to come.
Jacqlyn Thorne 