For quite a few years now, the walk has been happening most days. And in winter, it has never been exactly the walk I’d like. But it’s only a few more weeks, and I know that trudging out the door to make my way to one destination or another is going to get a whole lot easier. Spring has officially arrived and on the heels of that there will be the budding of warm weather and pretty blooms very soon.
You can actually feel it already. Less bundling is required than in previous months. Sure, there’s still a nip in the air. Nothing, however, like the deep freeze of late January’s inhumane bitterness. Ambling along on this day, I felt the sign of winter’s thaw when the sun poking through a break in the clouds chased away the chill in my cheeks with its soothing warmth.
These early changes in spring’s atmosphere have always had a heartening effect on me. I recall the first time I noticed that I noticed that. It was many, many years ago very early in the season. The last vestiges of snow had receded, but a damp coolness had been lingering. Days of icy rain and cloudiness seemed to be an indicator that Mother Nature was providing winter with its last dance before ushering it on its way. And after the long months of cold and snow it was beginning to feel as if it would never end.
On this particular day, though, the sun was winning. Like a curled cat on a couch, I sat and soaked up its heat through the windows. So comforting was its power that I felt compelled to bundle up and go visit a friend. Opening the door, I could hear the swift trickle of melting snow from the rooftops, like mini waterfalls. A robin was dancing across the lawn, and the air was so warm it continued to beckon me forward. The heat was calming and restorative, so with a spring in my step and a song in my heart I made my way along the bare, dry streets.
This is spring to me. It has always had the ability to bring a smile and a song to my day. Even April showers can’t dampen my enthusiasm. It’s a promise of all of life’s good things. It heralds new beginnings, a revival, and our spirit is rejuvenated just thinking about it.
And those images we think of are full of colour and life. Spring is the vivid cheerful colours of fluffy baby chicks, of daffodils and tulips. It’s also the soft pastels of Easter eggs and robins eggs. Spring is verdant with lawns freshening, gardens blooming and trees budding. It’s also spotted ladybugs, earthy toads and pretty birds. Spring is clothes on the line, blowing in a fresh breeze. It’s also wide open windows and doors.
Spring is so many things it’s difficult to describe them all, and the feelings they elicit, here. But you can find them all in these wonderful collections of images from two favourite clipart websites.
