Ode to Spring

I've always had a long time love affair with Spring. There's something about the longer days, bluer skies, warmer weather, the scents getting sweeter, and flowers blooming that really remind me how beautiful life is. In ecology, it's been known as a time for mating between animals. The birds are singing, the foliage has the richest color, and it seems like it could be the most pleasant time of year.

I am a child of Spring. I was conceived on a family vacation to Miami back in 1979. I suppose that's why I love this season so much. Despite how badly I want to romanticize it and how everything comes to its full flourish, I want to admit the season does have its drawbacks. The return of heavy rain and allergies is the worst. My eyes feel itchy and I can't stop sneezing! I want to go outside to enjoy the sunshine, but I can't! Sometimes I find it hard to breathe from the pollen in the air and I feel like my space is being invaded by bugs. While I can complain about the mild drawbacks of this turnover, I'll enjoy it while I can... come Summer things will only get hotter and stickier. Spring is a tease that gives you all the perks of a mildly cool night. I also love the beach days during Spring, but don't ever second guess the sun. This time of year always gives me my first sunburn.

You can definitely feel the changes starting to happen. As exciting or scary as most of them can be, you truly can't fight it. Spring can make you feel more sociable or bring feelings of funk. I'm not sure if it's the brightness of the sun during the day, or the chemical imbalance of SAD, but it can really bring out the depression in some people. It could be the stress of social anxiety while it can make others feel more outgoing. It might even give you the urge to want to take a break after the winter months to take a vacation. There is just something about the freshness of this new chapter.

I am always filled with so much hope and wonder by this season when I see everything budding under the sun. I feel it is our purpose to shine, our duty to give our light and hope to others. Our message should be universal, it should be powerfully positive and it should be fully charged with love. We have so much crisis surrounding us and so many world tragedies. We need more inspiration. I'm moved by the miracles birthed by Spring, but I'm aware there are those who may have conflicting ideas or might disagree.

There are people very severely affected by SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). It's been known that the suicide rate is higher during Spring than during the Winter holidays. Some people deal with so much chemical imbalance around Spring, there is a history of horrifying and tragic events that have occurred during this time, mainly in the month of April. I feel so plagued by this period because it's always around the time of my birthday when these awful events have happened. I feel heartbroken and helpless for the victims affected. Past events from the Oklahoma City Bombing, the Waco Siege, Columbine Massacre, Virginia Tech Massacre, Boston Marathon Bombings, the Unabomber, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, to the latest Sri Lanka Easter bombings all occurred during Spring. These are some of the few, but there have been plenty before my lifetime. For example, President Lincoln's assassination, the failed attempt of Bay of Pigs for the Cuban Missile Crisis, Hitler's birthday, and one of the largest earthquakes of all time in San Francisco in 1906. And while some might say that tragic events happen all year round, I want to acknowledge that these particular horrific (mostly) terrorist events have altered the course of human history. Natural disasters are unavoidable, but I'll never understand why certain individuals would seek to destroy helpless people. What would drive someone to do that? Could it be a rage or depression triggered by the effects of Spring? Not everyone is ready for the renewal that surrounds this season or the revival that is associated with a holiday like Easter.

There are some theories that your mind may first go through a chemical imbalance by the lack of light during Winter. The darkness of the Winter season could match your mood and the light that comes with Spring becomes too harsh. Possibly a case of reverse Vitamin D? It's quite possible that light could have an adverse affect on someone who doesn't need such a large dose of it or simply cannot handle the brightness. I also read that during Spring people most commonly start taking antidepressants.

As much as I don't want to admit it, I know everyone does not share the same happy feelings on Spring that I do. Sadly, there is a real detriment to my favorite season that goes beyond tax filing, Spring showers, getting dumped before Summer, and observing Earth Day.

SPRING should in essence give us a cleansing and recharge us. Spring should put a new stride in our step. It should have its own bell to help us usher "out with the old and in with the new." Spring should be a season of growth and new beginnings. And it should give us a reset to start a new chapter and a reminder to live purposefully and intentionally in our lives. So, what is it about Spring that might trigger something different for you?