Tag: spring

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snow covered tulips

Photo by Laurence Prestage on Pexels.com

There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.

Leonard Cohen

Every time I have checked the news on my computer during the past forty eight hours, I am reminded that we are anticipating a wicked spring snowstorm. Expected to be one of the most cataclysmic snowstorms in decades, it certainly sounds ominous and has kept the journalists busy. Instructions for emergency preparedness and supply lists to keep you covered for a period of 72 hours seem to be everywhere.

Having started to get ready for spring yard work, changed winter tires to summer ones, and finally watched the last of the snow melt leaving behind the proverbial snow mold on my lawn, I am finished with winter. Spring has been slower this year compared to the last couple of years but it is in evidence most places you look.

I have a solitary tulip that comes up all by itself first thing early each spring so it often receives the tail end of a cold, snowy prairie winter. But it keeps coming up, year after year. Actually, it has persevered in spite of harsh weather conditions for more than thirty years.

And I have always considered it a bit of a touchstone or a comforting kind of reminder that in spite of the many challenges we may experience throughout life, we are in fact, resilient and our struggles pass.

So like my stalwart solitary tulip about to get pummelled by a dreadful spring snow storm, it reinforces that I too, am resilient and can weather what life throws my way. Even when the conditions or circumstances threaten to be overwhelming. Like that tulip, if I remain mindful rather than reactive, hold space for hope, then passing storms will move along and so will I.

Stay hopeful, stay safe!

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Writing into spring

Photo by Dawafenjo Gurung on Pexels.com

There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never know quite where they’ll take you.

Beatrix Potter

There is something magical that happens deep within me at the time of spring equinox. My energy levels lift, the piles of snow that remain in my yard no longer matter, and I feel compelled to plant something. Usually only seeds from one type of plant because in this part of the world, it is far too early to anticipate digging in dirt outdoors.

But still, stepping into springtime simply by looking at the calendar and starting a single seedling plants a much needed sense of hope. And so does being able to resurrect a writing routine.

The promise of warmer weather, budding trees, and blooming flowers seems to serve as a springboard for creativity. Ideas flow faster than I can capture them and write them on a page. When I seem to stall, a quick visit to the outdoors where the sun shines brighter and feels warmer, is often enough to shift gears and prompt me to keep on writing.

Earlier worries during the long winter months about not having enough time or inclination to write no longer permeate my days.

Perhaps over time I will learn not to fret about what seem to be the natural ebbs and flows that are part of my writing practice. Circumstances beyond my control put a halt to my progress learning the craft of writing. So faced with ongoing worry about whether I would get back to the page, many days were spent with loops of thought that in hindsight were actually instructive.

It seems that the lesson I needed to pay attention to through this time was learning how to honour the times when words flow easily as well as those times when they don’t.

Creating a first draft always leads to something more. Especially when you have the time and energy to devote to it. In most ways, this seems parallel to the life cycle of growing plants. There are different periods of time where the act of writing unfolds by planting those first words, nourishing, watering and weeding them, and helping them grow until they are ready for harvest.

So I will take the time to honour the new words that are emerging as I move into spring this year and cultivate them just like seeds ready for growth.

Happy writing!!

Subtle signs of spring…and hope

Photographs by L. Meyer

As I sit down to write this post, I can see snowflakes fluttering down from the sky, once again. April has been a challenging month, cold bitter temperatures arrived along with large amounts of snow that didn’t melt for a number of days. Raging active case counts have accompanied the third wave of the coronavirus causing more restrictions, more isolation, and fear. Political theatrics play out around our world as covid deniers, flat earth proponents, and anti-climate change crusaders take up air time.

So seeking the hopeful emotions that accompany the changes brought by the spring season seems to have been more elusive this year. Robins arrived on time to a landscape covered in snow and ice. But they remained, unchanged and unharmed in spite of it. Nesting activities continued as per usual. The wild rabbits living in a nearby park changed colour even though their food sources were buried once more and nature’s backdrop was once again painted white. Perennials in my garden seem to have survived the frigid temperatures with no lasting ill effects. Proving they are hardy prairie plants. Which persevere.

An annual journey out to the valley to search out and photograph early spring crocus yielded results similar to years past. Waves of relief accompanied what was actually framed in my viewfinder as I prepared to click the shutter. Although the telltale indications of spring have been slow to come given the disruptions around us, the signs albeit subtle, now gently surround us. Stirring the soul. Providing fresh energy. Giving us hope. Where it is needed.

Stay healthy and safe!