Picked up a random poetry book From the crowded shelf. Quick easy hour read: Delight and wonder. Then, Found…
Spring Time During a Pandemic
My favorite season has always been summer;
since I was a kid and stayed out till dusk with my neighborhood friends playing tag and popping dandelions,
since I was a teenager and laid out by the pool with a friend, listening to cool music and talking about our future dreams,
since I was a young adult and spent time with friends at a local ice cream shop. I would savor delicious gourmet, vanilla bean ice cream with caramel and chocolate toppings in a fresh-baked waffle cone,
since I was newly married and I went for long walks with my husband around our small town, talking about random happenings and basking in our new relationship,
since I became a new mother and loved watching my daughters giggle with glee as they splash and kick in the cold pool waters under the hot sun,
The summer was always my favorite season.
Now, I am forty.
Now there is a pandemic.
Now I walk around a grocery store and see others cringe when we unexpectedly get too close to each other.
Now I drive down a usually busy road and don’t have to exercise patience as I would have had to stop at every red light every mile or so. My drive home today on the busiest road was a smooth sailing event, with no stops, and no stress.
Now I come home to see a freshly mowed lawn (thanks Tom!) and bright colors from newly blossomed orange tulips and lavender blooms on our willow tree as they gently sway in a slight breeze.
Now I walk inside our house to see my daughters and husband, who have been inside all day, and I am refreshed to see their smiling faces. I am excited by the late afternoon sunshine pouring in through the windows, revitalizing us all with vitamin D after a long winter.
Now I have planted a garden and am excited each day to see a little bit more growth on the peas, watermelons, and tomatoes. For all of my trouble with depression and anxiety, I come out of my shell a bit when it comes to remembering to water the plants. I will not forget this year. I do not want to forget. Instead of coming from work and sitting down to nap, I am coming home to check on the plants.
Now my favorite season has shifted from summer to spring. Although there is a pandemic, I am reinvigorated by all things I am experiencing right now.
I may not be able to see friends and extended family in person, but this April, I can still connect with them through social media and through my phone. I love sharing photos with everyone and hearing about how we are all doing and what we are doing during this strange social isolation time.
Spring is a time of rebirth. Spring is a promise of love that has risen from the grave. Spring puts a smile on my face and a skip to my steps.
Happy Easter!
Check out my novel, Married to an Atheist a Love Story from Idaho, on amazon.com. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
The pandemic is giving us more awareness of what we had always valued but took for granted. It is a whole new appreciation of life coming out of our darkness. I am appreciating spring more.