Marching into Spring
2021 is a good year to look at what is right in front of us. Look and listen to how it works. There’s a heartbeat and a steady breath. Even the buds turning into leaves are forever in motion – even if we cannot see it happening in current time. There’s no need to rush – just stay in motion – be present – march on and soon we’ll be in full bloom.
Here we are leaning into the last week of March – the beginning of spring. For New Englanders, this month, weatherwise, can mean anything. It’s a potluck month. Snow, hail, tumultuous winds, sun, buds, birds, all the first signs of awakening. I’m always amazed at the courage forest-born animals are this time of year, showing their faces and braving being seen. I’ve seen wild turkeys, Cooper hawks feeding on finches, coyotes, owls, and even a neighborhood bobcat. I know our birdfeeders encourage their presence, but we enjoy the company safe within our walls.
March also comes with celebrations for me. My son’s birthday, my Dad’s birthday, my Grandmother’s birthday, and best friends’ birthdays. I also have bittersweet memories – I love to remember my dad and my grandmother this month, but I also miss them terribly. I must remember to bring flowers to the cemetery! My grandmother once told me she thought it would be nice if I would remember her birthday now and then. Little did she know I remember it always.
In March of 2020, I also said goodbye to my Misty, a beautiful and loving Wheaton terrier. We were together almost 15 years and she made me so very happy! Saying goodbye in Covid complicated matters – our family could not be together and had to grieve separately as did so many others in the same circumstances.
This notion of springing from winter into summer has never felt promising to me. The months between March and June feel long and busy and challenging. Unlike the brave forest animals who casually walk through the yard unaffected by my staring at them, I need more time. More time to be comfortable with the changing landscape. The landscape feels and is bare but the sight of tiny red buds on giant trees alerts me that soon the forest will return in full bloom. It’s a pretty long process. I’m thankful for this. It’s the time I need to accept that I am one year older. It’s the time I need to face the changes in my personal life, my family’s lives – not to mention the country and the world. I want to be brave like the coyotes, but this human’s brain needs to process and prepare for longer days. I find myself reflecting more often than dreaming. The comforting coat of a winter snow may re-appear for a second but I can no longer count on it. Time to wake up, get busy, get moving!
This March I promise myself to be more present – watch the changes in nature and follow their lead. If you watch backyard birds long enough you begin to see their goals. Their daily goals. It’s not by chance they came upon a bird feeder. It’s not by chance they notice a Cooper hawk eyeing them for lunch. They remain present and their goals are met. I’m not sure I would have had the privilege of recognizing this pattern pre-covid. I was busy looking too far forward while nature’s presence continued in the space between me and my reaching too far.
