Believe it or not, there is someone out there who does not like the season of spring!! The Russian poet and playwright Alexander Pushkin had such an aversion to the season he felt a need to voice his displeasure:
Now is my time: I bear no love for spring.
The floods, the mud, the stink – I feel unhealthy.
My blood ferments, longing chokes heart and mind
Better harsh winter, then I can feel happy again.
Well, poor old Mr. Pushkin. I wonder what he thinks about bunnies, ice cream, and Christmas?
While there may be a few people out there who share Pushkin’s displeasure with the coming of spring, I think it’s fair to say that most of us can’t wait for that magical moment on March 21st when we bid winter adieu and run/dance/shuffle/tumble/leap enthusiastically into spring. This may have been the winter that winter forgot, but regardless, spring holds treasures that even the mildest winter can’t duplicate. Over the next few days and weeks, the world around us will come to life, replacing its whites and greys with a stunning new wardrobe of colour. Any day now, the first robin of spring will appear on our lawn or our balcony, inviting us to get ready for the spectacle of new life that is to come.
We are all very well acquainted with this unique time of the year, but here are a few facts about the season that you may not have known:
1. Spring fever is a thing! When the weather warms, your veins and arteries dilate, allowing more blood to flow and giving you more energy. An increase in light also boosts a sense of well-being.
2. Children grow faster in spring than in any other season.
3. Birds sing louder and more often in the spring. Baby birds can sing from birth, but it takes them about 300 days to master the songs of their species. So, in the spring, after they are born, they want to let the world know that they have mastered the art of song.
4. In Poland, an effigy of winter is burned on the first day of spring and thrown in the river. (Mr. Pushkin would not like to have seen the Polish people treat his precious winter with such disdain)
5. Honeybees swarm in the spring to form new colonies. It is during this time that they are at their most docile and least likely to sting.
6. Prior to the 14th century, there was no name for spring. It was just called “Lent”. In the 14th century in England, people started calling it “springing” as flowers were springing from the ground. Over time, it was shortened to SPRING.
With all due respect to Mr. Pushkin, it’s difficult to be grouchy with this new season afoot. This is the time of year in which the very promise of new life is built into everything we see. Martin Luther famously said, “the promise of the resurrection is written on every leaf of springtime”.
On that note, let me give another poet the last word, Jennifer Gunner:
“The rabbit hops it’s gentle step
The lark sings lyric songs
All the world’s alive again
Spring rights the winter wrongs.
Mother hen protects her chicks
White blossoms are in bloom
All the world’s alive again
No snowy clouds to loom.
A kitten chirps her tiny mew
The child blinks his eyes
All the world’s alive again
A new world crystalized.
Much better!! Happy Spring, everyone!!
