"In like a lion and out like a lamb", (or vice versa) could be used to describe all of March, April and May in Minnesota. Spring is a season of contrasts. Last week I was planting flowers while it was snowing 9 inches in Duluth. We enjoy the bright green and fresh bulbs, and then wake up to sleet, howling winds and flooding. The black fields, looking like newly vacuumed carpets, are edged with grassy banks. The hawk builds its nest in the bare tree top. The dogwood puts out impressive blooms while there is still frost on the roofs.
It is impossible to plan, to predict the changes. The weather is all over the place and the danger of frost and freezing rain curbs plans for outdoor activities. I couldn't resist buying some plants and putting them in the ground. The ones in pots are not doing well, so maybe I should have waited another two weeks.
And when I am checking for signs of life on my lavender, I notice weeds flourishing. I am hesitant to make a ruling on my grape vines. Either the rabbits or the long hard winter have taken them down. Jon is anxious to rip them out and replace them, but I'm giving them another few weeks to show change.
Spring is a busy time as we navigate through all the changes taking place. We are cleaning up and clearing out the old, making ready for the new. We make plans for the future while finishing out our present in neat and tidy goodbyes. One school year comes to an end, but before it does we must plan and provide for the next. We celebrate changes through graduation parties and family reunions.
My youngest son is finishing up his first year of college. He is busy deciding on courses and a major for next year, finding an advisor, choosing a new roommate, applying for summer jobs, all the while studying for exams and presenting end of year projects. It seems unfair to expect so much to happen in so short a time. Do we cram all this into spring just so we can relax all summer? We tackle the lion so we can lie down with the lamb.
Many businesses are rolling out their new spring look, hoping the change will catch our attention. I hear one ad on the radio say, "Change is always good, right?" Which made me think.... Is change always good? The problem is that we just don't know the outcome, whether the change is for the better or for the worse. We hope for a better future but are fearful of making a mistake. I have come to accept change as an opportunity to reevaluate my choices, and assess which choices worked well and which should not be repeated, or should even be reversed.
And so we come to spring cleaning... deciding what needs to change and acting on it.
Should we consider a change of career? Strive to lose a few pounds? Move or remodel our home? Take a trip? Write a book? The answer to all is "yes"! You will either feel fulfilled, or you will find out what isn't for you... yet. I still remember when, at the age of 7, I couldn't decide what I wanted. My mother wisely suggested we flip a coin. I complained that I might not like the outcome. To which my mother replied, "Then you will have found what you really want."
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