This week the Book of Me, Written by You prompt is all about my favorite season. I don’t even have to put on my thinking cap to tell you it is Spring.
Why Spring? To me, Spring is all about rebirth and fresh starts. You can’t help but feel hopeful as new flower buds appear on plants, baby birds learn how to fly, and frisky squirrel run around crazy for a chance to mate with a lone female.
In my area, Spring can be rainy, but it can also be warm. As the days get a little longer and a little warmer, it’s as if everything has come back to life. Around here, Spring means shedding the jackets and living in t-shirts and jeans.
I love taking walks in my neighborhood during Springtime. Everything smells so good because the rain has cleared the skies. There is a mix of pine and blooming flowers. People are outside more and you usually get a friendly wave or two from the neighbors.
Everything about Spring is more colorful and more alive. I find myself becoming more motivated, more eager to go outside, and breath fresh air. I grab my camera and take it with me on my daily walks in case I see something neat–and I usually do. I took this photograph in May of this year. Who isn’t cheered up by a blue sky with puffy white clouds?
I’ve often felt that the new year should start on the first day of Spring. It makes no sense to me to start the new year in January when the days are short, cold, and bleak. Spring is when everything comes back to life and all things seem possible.
I have a couple of favorite memories of Spring from my childhood. As the days warmed up, our elementary school teachers allowed us a little more freedom. There were different special days and festivities like the May Day celebrations. Our teachers would take us to the grassy hill in front of the school to read books to us. It was lovely getting outside the classroom. At lunch time, we were allowed to buy boxed lunches that could be taken outside to be eaten out on the field.
And, yes, Spring brought the promise that the school year would ends soon. Suddenly, the days at ones desk didn’t seem so confining, there was more laughter on the playground, the adults didn’t seem so grumpy, and we knew the end was near. What’s not to like about that?
My second memory centers around the ball field across the street from where I grew up. I cannot think of Spring without thinking of Little League. My brother played for several years and my Dad was a volunteer for over 30 years. Every April, we got up early to watch the parade. One year the Banana Splits were the special guest. Boy was I excited!
This is me and my siblings all decked out for the parade. Our dog even had the right colors! I think this was about 1968.
One evening a week and every Saturday until All Stars ended some time around 4th of July was spent at the ball field. For my brother (the one who didn’t play) and I, that meant climbing around behind the field, playing pickle with the other kids, and getting the freedom to play at the park. It meant hot dogs and cokes for dinner–and way too many M&Ms and Pixie Sticks. I was my older brother’s biggest cheerleader, the smallest person at the ball field with the loudest voice.
As an adult, I enjoy Spring for the longer days that it brings and the better weather. With my arthritis, I’m semi-shut in during Winter. My joints become less creaky and my mood improves. I get to be outside with my dog and my camera…two things that I love. Winter can feel like a prison when you have a disability.
Three things I like about Spring:
The California Poppies come back to life around the neighborhood…
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A pair of ducks spends several weeks roaming our streets…
Baseball season starts…
Oh, I am already thinking about Spring and Autumn has only just begun!
