A Wander Through my Mind

 

Nothing is so beautiful as Spring - 

When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;

Gerard Manley Hopkins

When I opened my bedroom curtains this morning the fat golden full moon looked at me directly, as if to say, "Wake up, sleepyhead!" Now I sit here at my computer looking out on a cloudy morning that will surely brighten. One fat robin, red breast highly visible, sits in the neighbour's blossoming plum tree. Daffodils are nearly finished, and hyacinths soon to follow. A dark-eyed junco perches on the deck railing. I see the tiniest buds of lilacs beginning to form. Hooray for spring flowers. 

I confess that Spring is not my favourite season. She's too capricious. On days when the sun shines warm, the wind blows chill. I welcome the change of seasons, and there is much to admire - emerging plants, the turtles sunning themselves on the log in the pond, blossoms galore, and the increasing light. On the flip side, one might wear a down jacket, a raincoat, and go sockless in sandals all in one week. Capricious!

"The world is full of peril and there are many dark places. But still, there is much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater."

J. R. R. Tolkien

I've been stuck for words lately. Feeling unmotivated. There are ideas bubbling up inside me that are looking for expression. I am learning to wait for them like bulbs forming roots before bursting into colour. I'm also leaning more and more into staying away from media that encourages short interactions, such as Instagram and Twitter, and instead enjoying the thoughtfulness of blogging. But have you experienced how addicting those short snippets of irrelevant information can be? I am taking back my time and hope that it will result in renewed motivation and creativity. 

"You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine."

Annie Dillard

This week is busy with wonderful things. We have a birthday to celebrate (Tim's), Good Friday to observe, and Easter dinner followed by an egg hunt in the garden (weather permitting). I sat down this morning and made a lovely long list of tasks that I will enjoy ticking off one by one. 

I'll leave you with one little Easter memory. We usually visited my grandparents' home on Easter and Grandma had a special large chocolate egg hidden for each grandchild. I was the eldest and no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find my egg. I found my sister and brother's eggs, and those of the cousins, but not my own. As I became more and more frustrated, my Grandma told me gently that since I was the eldest my egg was hidden in a more difficult place, and that I had done well in helping the younger children find their eggs. I don't remember where the egg was finally hiding, but I do remember Grandma's encouragement. 

Then there was the time I got stuck in the outhouse at my other grandmother's farm home while wearing my new Easter dress - a pale yellow linen dress with a hand-embroidered daisy on the shoulder. My mother made us new dresses every Easter and every Christmas. No matter how I loudly I hollered no one came to my rescue. They were all busy eating dinner and visiting indoors. I finally managed to pry the door open and escaped, thinking I had been gone for ever so long only to discover that no one had missed me. 

So that was two little Easter memories. Now it's time to tackle that list of tasks. Have a most wonderful day, and I'd love it if you shared any Easter or spring memories of your own.