The Spring

The afternoon light was already fading, which was always a problem in Washington State. In the early spring, the weather was slightly depressing and made everyone feel a little down. This week, we offered up a few days of bright, sunny weather, just like the elusive summertime that everyone imagined. However, the days of summer are very far away. Washingtonians are funny in that they are always talking about the weather and complaining about it, but they will not change it for one minute. The winters, fall, and spring were so temporary, and the summer was a short period of heat and uncomfortable sunlight, and then it was gone. The seasonal depression of all those clouds and rainy days will become comfortable, and you will never leave the house without your trusted raincoat. The raincoat was a sign of acceptance; if you did not wear a raincoat or carry an umbrella, people were suspicious that you were from California or something worse. The Washingtonians are always the unassuming characters in the room and the ones who never forget the delight of the gray day with lots of rain. The days are a little longer with daylight savings, and the mornings and evenings are a little warmer and brighter. The desire for sunlight is apparent as the branches of trees bear their first blooms and the happy-go-lucky dandelions raise their bright yellow blooms to the sky. The first sight of the magnolia and camellia blooms decorates the streets and parks, bringing a little color and joy to the landscape. The promise of cherry blossoms so delicate and breakable on their slim branches just awaits the warming sunlight and blue skies. However, dark clouds threaten the delicate blooms of early springtime. The quick and crazy weather in March wakes up the cold sleeping landscape with its burst of warmth and sharp cold mornings that break the pretty landscape up into winter and spring. March cannot be tamed or understood with the power of Aries and the fire of the earth that overwhelms. Being a spring baby, it feels like you embody the energy and force of rebirth and life. Spring brings growth and painful pauses before summer takes control and the end of the season in the fall. The spring is essential, but it can feel like it is doing all the work in the middle to restart the cycle of life all over again. Summer gets to sit back and enjoy all the work and say, look at me, is this not wonderful and beautiful? For all the complaining and mixed reviews of spring with its clouds of pollen, rivers of rain, and weird days, was it either snowing or sunny? What would we do without spring? Washingtonians may complain and threaten to move somewhere else, like Arizona or California, in the spring. However, spring does provide a good topic for small talk at the dentist, in the lunchroom, or with the overly friendly barista at the coffee shop. Oddly enough, everyone had something to say about it. A non-Washingtonian once remarked to me, why does everyone talk about the weather all the time with such enthusiasm? Like why? This is a good question, but one that cannot be answered on my part. We like to talk a lot about the rain, the clouds, and what’s not. What is appreciated most about this season is the reawakening of the earth and the beautiful magnolia trees with their silky ballerina slippers that rise up into the air on point. The daffodils that smile out at the world with their optimistic yellow blooms. The burst of sunlight, days of gray quiet, and the peaceful and refreshing rain that comes so often in the early spring.