I'm feeling rather sorry for Punxsutawney Phil... He seems to be getting the brunt of the ire of most of, if not all, the Midwest this week for a late Winter storm we got the day after the Vernal Equinox. Try to remember, everyone, that the whole looking for his shadow is a human display, not his doing. Poor guy gets dragged out of his cage with great ceremony just to play puppet to illustrate what can plainly be seen in the sky as a cloudy or not cloudy day. A simple German legend now indicts Phil as a terrible weather man some 61% of the time. Did he ask for the job? My humble friend Tedmund the Groundhog, on the other hand, hasn't shown his cute little mug across the street yet. He knows where it's comfy. Despite the interruption, though, flowers have already begun blooming and trees are budding. I promise you: Spring is coming!
I know my seasonally affected friends-- as I am... or used to be... not sure anymore-- will likely want to lynch me too but I'm personally grateful for the pause, or quick instant replay of the previous season's signature move. Over the last few years, I've heard so many complain about how we just don't get snow anymore here in the Ozarks. Just bitter cold (if we're fortunate) and ice storms. Where are those big, wet, fluffy snows? The kind so perfect for packing snowmen and snowforts. Umm... here? Twice this year even! It's not even messing up the roads! Well, that part doesn't work as well if we can't get a snow day to enjoy it.
Spring is a time of unbridled growth and transformation. Life is literally bursting forth from the Earth and Sky with the built up potential energy of the dark time; from sprouting seeds to thunderstorms. I'm excited for new learning opportunities and the time to act on those plans that have gestated all Winter too, but to pause with the softness of snowfall one more weekend in the big picture of all my years is, for me, a welcome breather. It's a moment to further stretch my roots down into the nurturing soil before taking off wherever the blustery April wind will take me next. For a couple more nights we will bundle a little warmer, slow down at rush hour, cuddle on the couch, romp in the snow with our kids, and grow aware of our surroundings with, ideally, concern for one another one more time. In fact, take a moment to appreciate that usually when the new season rushes in and we're headlong into early Summer we might briefly think of how that last snow of the year felt... or the last time we got to wear that soft cable sweater. Because in that moment we likely didn't even notice that it might be the last time we see snow for sometimes a couple years at a time.
The sun will come and I'm sure before long we'll face the challenge of high temperatures and potential drought. Some of us will miss the quiet hibernation of the sleeping season as more light urges us to work more and harder even as we celebrate life renewed.
I hope people can appreciate this reprieve with a deep breath and begin this new Spring with calmness and peace within. According to the forecasts, we can reasonably know that our last wonder of Winter will be on the ground this weekend. Immerse yourself in the sensations. Be fully present and have gratitude for the quiet freeze, that you and your family stayed warm, and your bounty was enough to keep you fed. We made it through the darkness toward the promise of another year. Honor Winter and say goodbye until next time.
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