Oddly, I find the early spring we are experiencing not only unsettling but a little sad. Of course I adore spring! And winter is my least favorite time of year. But I do live in a land of four seasons and this year we barely had a winter at all.
There are things both natural and unnatural about this early spring that bother me. On the unnatural side, there is, of course, global warming. We are wrecking the natural order of things and that is very sad. All kinds of terrible things are happening across the globe because of what we humans have done and are still doing to this planet that is our home.
On the natural side, there’s time slipping away. Being a woman of a certain age, I am acutely aware of the passage of time. I look out my windows now, in early March, and see lots of green already. Oddly chagrined rather than joyous yesterday, I felt ashamed to actually feel a little sad about it. This is not just a sweet little blip in the middle of winter. I’ve always loved those. No, it’s done, it’s over; and we haven’t put in our dues with ice and snow and freezing toes and fingers yet. Two weeks only of it, I’d say. We’ve paid almost nothing for the rewards of spring.
Wildflowers, bulbs and flowering trees are already doing what they do so well.
Shouldn’t I be reveling in it? Crusty Old Winter’s zoomed away in a rush without even a sly goodbye. Yet this year I’m not yelling, Good riddance!
No. For I have passed another winter on Earth. How many more will I have? So I feel a bit unsettled and not quite as celebratory as usual.
But signs of spring are signs of spring, and color and blue skies and the cheerful little flowers are always lovely and welcome. I just hope they don’t disappear in a rush because summer’s landed too soon! I like FOUR seasons. Four. This is where I live, in Four Seasons Land, which is located on Earth, which we need to somehow protect. Sigh. So many things to fix.
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” ― Anne Bradstreet
“That is one good thing about this world . . . there are always sure to be more springs.” ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea
” . . . always
it’s
Spring)and everyone’s
in love and flowers pick themselves”
― e.e. cummings, Collected Poems
If you’re looking for my cards or art, you’ll find all of that on my website. If you enjoy these letters, feel free to forward this one to anyone you think might like it. And if someone forwarded this one to you, you can sign up here to receive the letters right in your Inbox. Finally, you’ll find past letters and poems here.
Thanks for listening,
Kay
P.S. MerryThoughts is the name of my first book, out of print at the moment. The word is a British one, referring both to a wishbone and to the ritual of breaking the wishbone with the intention of either having a wish granted or being the one who marries first, thus the “merry thoughts.”
Kay, you are a breath of fresh air. You are the spirit of Spring. I always feel refreshed after reading you or seeing you. Even though I see you rarely it is so nice to know that you are alive and making the world a better place. I am also caught up in what you wrote about. What we are doing to our planet is so sad and not just on the climate level. We can try to not be part of that slow killing and we can also do our best to make our lives a force for good and love and caring. We can try to be like Kay Foley. It’s a stretch but she (you) have shown that we can be that force. I’m glad that people like you exist and I’m extra glad that I met you and consider you a friend. You matter my friend. You matter.
Kay, you are a breath of fresh air. You are the spirit of Spring. I always feel refreshed after reading you or seeing you. Even though I see you rarely it is so nice to know that you are alive and making the world a better place. I am also caught up in what you wrote about. What we are doing to our planet is so sad and not just on the climate level. We can try to not be part of that slow killing and we can also do our best to make our lives a force for good and love and caring. We can try to be like Kay Foley. It’s a stretch but she (you) have shown that we can be that force. I’m glad that people like you exist and I’m extra glad that I met you and consider you a friend. You matter my friend. You matter.