Spring is All Around Us!
Feb. 27th, 2011 09:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
belindabirdI meant to post this closer to Imbolc (Feb 2nd) but didn't get around to it. It's kind of lame when you have to concentrate and plan just to fit in a journal post, but that's life for you I suppose.
A lot of information on Imbolc is concentrated on early signs of life having to do with the oncoming Spring. Originally, in Europe, it had a lot to do with lactating ewe's (which is why one of the traditional foods of Imbolc is milk). In the modern day where most of us don't really have any personal interaction with livestock, and especially in Minnesota where we don't really get a lot of early-blooming plant life in February (since we're usually sitting around closer to freezing, the winds are harsh, and the air is dry) it can be difficult to really get on board with thinking about Spring and how it's "just around the corner." In fact, for particularly jaded people (I'm not one of them, but I know some), it's almost like a cruel joke to have someone talk about the oncoming Spring when the world appears dead and we've just gotten our third foot of snowfall for the month (exaggerated, but sometimes it seems like it).
A few weeks ago I was walking home from the bus stop after work, and happened to notice some buds appearing on the tips of my neighbor's lilac branches, then excitedly ran to my own backyard and noticed them there, too. It made me happy! Over the weekend I was excited and mentioned it to a friend, who quipped that "wow, there's something wrong with those stupid plants, durr hurr." Way to be a buzz kill! But I think that sentiment echoes a lot of what most people who live around here probably think. Why start thinking about Spring when the most obvious signs of it are weeks (and sometimes months) away?
Well, why not?
Step outside and check out some of the dormant plants in your neighborhood. Take a closer look at the trees. I bet you that some of them have started to show buds already. Things are already stirring and heading towards their inevitable blossoming. Don't look at these things as Nature being a dirty tease, but as a taste of what's inevitably to come.
This time is a great time to plan a garden, if you're thinking of having one (and have the room to do so). You may not be breaking ground on a garden plot any time soon, but there are already seeds showing up in garden shops and Target/Lowe's and it's never too early to think ahead, especially if you're planning to start your own seeds indoors (like I am this year). We have such a short growing season that we really need to try and make it count for everything that it's worth.
I also consider Winter to be a season of reflection, of introspection, and of self-work and development, so how lucky are we that we have so much extra time to devote to ourselves and becoming better people? This is a great time not only to work on how we act and react, but to develop personal skills and take the first steps towards learning new things, improving our relationships with others, and developing new and better habits (and don't worry if you've mad new year's resolutions and subsequently fallen off the wagon - nobody is perfect and it's better to keep trying).
And just remember, Spring is inevitable and it's closer than we might think, even though snow still covers the ground.
A lot of information on Imbolc is concentrated on early signs of life having to do with the oncoming Spring. Originally, in Europe, it had a lot to do with lactating ewe's (which is why one of the traditional foods of Imbolc is milk). In the modern day where most of us don't really have any personal interaction with livestock, and especially in Minnesota where we don't really get a lot of early-blooming plant life in February (since we're usually sitting around closer to freezing, the winds are harsh, and the air is dry) it can be difficult to really get on board with thinking about Spring and how it's "just around the corner." In fact, for particularly jaded people (I'm not one of them, but I know some), it's almost like a cruel joke to have someone talk about the oncoming Spring when the world appears dead and we've just gotten our third foot of snowfall for the month (exaggerated, but sometimes it seems like it).
A few weeks ago I was walking home from the bus stop after work, and happened to notice some buds appearing on the tips of my neighbor's lilac branches, then excitedly ran to my own backyard and noticed them there, too. It made me happy! Over the weekend I was excited and mentioned it to a friend, who quipped that "wow, there's something wrong with those stupid plants, durr hurr." Way to be a buzz kill! But I think that sentiment echoes a lot of what most people who live around here probably think. Why start thinking about Spring when the most obvious signs of it are weeks (and sometimes months) away?
Well, why not?
Step outside and check out some of the dormant plants in your neighborhood. Take a closer look at the trees. I bet you that some of them have started to show buds already. Things are already stirring and heading towards their inevitable blossoming. Don't look at these things as Nature being a dirty tease, but as a taste of what's inevitably to come.
This time is a great time to plan a garden, if you're thinking of having one (and have the room to do so). You may not be breaking ground on a garden plot any time soon, but there are already seeds showing up in garden shops and Target/Lowe's and it's never too early to think ahead, especially if you're planning to start your own seeds indoors (like I am this year). We have such a short growing season that we really need to try and make it count for everything that it's worth.
I also consider Winter to be a season of reflection, of introspection, and of self-work and development, so how lucky are we that we have so much extra time to devote to ourselves and becoming better people? This is a great time not only to work on how we act and react, but to develop personal skills and take the first steps towards learning new things, improving our relationships with others, and developing new and better habits (and don't worry if you've mad new year's resolutions and subsequently fallen off the wagon - nobody is perfect and it's better to keep trying).
And just remember, Spring is inevitable and it's closer than we might think, even though snow still covers the ground.
