This is my first blog, and fittingly, spring seems to conjure up images of birth, and new life.
After the dead cold of winter (for some of us, in some places, though not here, thank god!), the thaw begins and warmth, even a little bit from a weak sun, seems like an invitation to emerge and bloom, and involuntarily my body lets go a little, and relaxes.
The other day I was driving and couldn't help but notice that everywhere i looked flowers were abloom; yellow and purple, so vibrant and in giant patches.
On this day, with flowers abound and a sunny fresh breezy blue sky dotted with clouds, I realized, quite jarringly, spring had officially arrived.
Living in southern California where the seasons are not very pronounced, I sometimes feel I miss the subtleties of spring, and one mild sunny day leads into another until the air and the ocean are noticeably warmer and its summer.
I blame it on the region, but the day I noticed spring, I wondered if I was not at fault all along.
I read an article the other day where a father explained that he used to get frustrated taking his toddler on walks. His daughter refused to remain in a stroller, and when he let her out, she wandered from rock to sidewalk to stray puddle, going in no direction and making their walks take twice as long.
And then one day he stopped trying to chase after her and just watched. He was impressed by her observations and discoveries, finding wonder in the seemingly ordinary things we pass over each day without a second glance, as so many children are apt to do.
So from that day forward, he made his daughter the leader of their walks. Though it took more time, he found their new observations and discoveries - wanderings made him notice the sky, the flowers, a dog- infinitely more valuable.
These days its difficult to notice anything that is not slapped in our face in an aggressive and overly stimulating way, because sadly, that is what we have become accustomed to.
The speed at which t.v. is broadcast to us is over 24 frames per second- that is the frequency (rate) at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames.
No wonder we find looking at a flower or watching the sky boring.
Not only are we constantly over stimulated, we are constantly looking for and rushing to the next thing that is speedy enough to entertain us or even grab our attention, and we lose everything in the background, and everything in between.
Because I live in a region where seasons don't drastically change, and therefore my attention is not wrangled away from whatever is pulsing in front of me, I usually don't even notice the world of nature changing around me and the beautiful delicacy that entails. And I cannot blame this on where i live.
I am grateful that i noticed spring this year. The sense of peace and wonderful slowing change from the daily quest to simply get from point a to b and constant over stimulation was quite gratifying.
And I am not even one of those people who can never relax and shut it off.
Some of my favorite days have been spent lying in the sun in peace an quiet reading a book.
But I could do better.
This is not thing of defiance or to prove I am better or different.
Its for the good of my health and peace of mind, and for the fact that i am simply happier and more satisfied when i take the time to slow down and notice the world around me.
The speedy man made stimulation that surrounds me can be fun, but alone and with too much of it, it simply leaves me feeling empty and tired.
Stepping aside to notice spring, a flower, the breeze, or in the eyes of that toddler, a bug, a puddle or the sidewalk, brings my mind alive with wonderment and a great appreciation for the world that I too live in (even though I seem to forget it sometimes!), and leaves me feeling fulfilled and at rest.
So here's to spring - may it remind you to wander and discover and see life with new eyes.
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