BY: DR. NURIT ISRAELI
“That is one good thing about
this world... there are always sure
to be more springs.”
- L.M. Montgomery, Anne of
IAvonlea n 2020, March 19th is the spring
equinox, the astronomical first
day of spring in the Northern
Hemisphere. Although winter often
disregards its deadline and takes its
time to depart, I have already put
away the warm coats and heavy
blankets in anticipation.
I am grateful to be living in a part
of the world with four distinct sea-sons.
I savor the changes of scen-ery,
of color, of light. I enjoy the
alternating lifestyles, experiencing
the same place four different ways.
Mostly, I marvel at the orderly way
the seasons glide into each other
with no gaps, a predictable chang-ing
of the guards, an order I can
count on. Like in our personal life
cycle, each season comes with its
own blessings, its own demands, its
own pace. I agree with the philos-opher
George Santayana:
“To be interested in the chang-ing
seasons is a happier state of
mind than to be hopelessly in love
with spring.”
Still, I deeply appreciate the way
spring flows from winter! Living
through the harshness of winter
enhances our appreciation of the
blessings of spring. On bleak winter
days, I recall the English romantic
poet Percy Shelley’s famous rhetor-ical
question:
“O, wind, if winter comes, can
spring be far behind?”
And I can answer assuredly: No,
never too far behind.
Spring’s blessings are obvious.
After three months of winter, clocks
spring forward, coldness gives way
to warmth, days become longer, the
allure of the outdoors is enticing
yet again, the world springs to life.
People often feel both physically
and psychologically better as winter
gives way to spring. Scientists have
demonstrated that exposure to sun-light
increases the brain’s release of
serotonin, a hormone associated
with boosting mood. Additionally,
sunlight reduces the brain’s release
of the hormone melatonin during
the day while increasing it at night,
which contributes to better sleep.
I look forward to spring’s new
beginnings: virgin green leaves
adorning deciduous trees, fresh
buds blooming, daffodils breaking
through softening grounds, birds
coming back and singing, white
and pink petals flying around like
nature-made confetti, Earth bounc-ing
back. The new energy inspires.
Using the words of spiritual teacher
Gary Zukow:
“The spring wakes us, nurtures
us and revitalizes us.”
The fresh start, guaranteed after
winter, lets us experience firsthand
the connectivity between endings
and beginnings, darkness and light,
stagnation and renewal. Marine
biologist Rachel Carson wrote
about this:
“There is something infinitely
healing in the repeated refrains of
nature – the assurance that dawn
comes after night, and spring after
winter.”
No wonder spring seems to be the
most popular season when it comes
to poetry (April is National Poetry
Month in both the US and Canada).
The poet Rainer Maria Rilke used a
lovely simile to describe the poetic
nature of spring:
“Spring has returned. The earth
is like a child that knows poems.”
Recently, I asked members of a
poetry-writing group to come up
with words they associate with vari-ous
seasons. Some of the words I got
for spring: Beginnings. Awakening.
Longings. Youth. Love. Growth.
Enchantment. Vitality. Hope. By
and large, writers use spring to
accentuate positive dimensions of
the human experience.
Spring is oftentimes used in
conjunction with love (go back
to your own memory bank: any
sweet memories of spring love?).
April, the midst of spring in the
Northern Hemisphere, is named
after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess
of love. Victor Hugo made the con-nection
between spring and love in
Les Misérables:
“If people did not love one
another, I really don’t see what
use there would be in having any
spring.”
More generally, writers refer to
the connection between spring and
happiness. For example, Ernest
Hemingway in A Moveable Feast:
“When spring came... there were
no problems except where to be
happiest.”
Many cultures have special
spring-related holidays: Passover,
Easter, Ramadan, Shavuot, Holi,
the Chinese spring festival, etc.
Spring prompts us to celebrate
renewal, redemption, hope...
Some of my most enchanting
travel memories include spring
images: April in Paris, the blankets
of wild flowers throughout south-ern
Morocco, Edelweiss in the
Alps, the large arctic wildflowers
that pop everywhere in Norway
and the smaller-scale wonders of
the Patagonia flora, tulip season
in Holland, Peony fields in New
Zealand. (Did you know that the
glorious peonies are hardy perenni-als
that can withstand harsh winter
conditions and come back spring
after spring?) One of my favorite
spring sights remains Manhattan’s
Central Park, which offers count-less
scenic spots where spring can
be savored. Our own golf course
too, coming back to life after winter,
is a nice reward for having waited
through another season of cold.
I use spring scenes in guided
meditation sessions – guiding par-ticipants
to construct their own
personal spring scenery. It can be
based on a pleasant spring memory,
or go beyond the memory into a
daydream. Try, for example, while
still in bed in the morning, to start
your day with a brief spring morn-ing
meditation: Close your eyes and
imagine lying down on the softest
of blankets, spread over the green
grass of an enthralling meadow – so
beautiful it looks like it emerged
from the
pages of
a fairytale.
The meadow is
surrounded by blooming cherry
blossom trees, with a plentitude of
pink and white buds, and a dreamy
brook with crystal-clear water is
running in the midst of the lush
grass. Up above you, the bluest of
skies is stretching as far as you can
see, not a single cloud interrupting
the blueness (have you ever noticed
how deep blueness can be?). An
early morning sun sends warm
rays of light, as a gentle breeze is
caressing your face. Around you, a
mix of colorful wildflowers – yel-low,
white, pink, purple, red, and
blue – lightly moving in the breeze.
Can you see the daffodils in full
bloom? The tulips bursting open?
Can you smell the lilacs? The sweet
fragrance of the cherry blossoms?
Can you hear the birds singing?
The whispering sound of the
bubbling brook? Can you feel the
softness of the wind stroking your
face? Try to embrace the calmness
and serenity of this special space
before you start your day. Store it
in your memory. You can always
return to this meadow, even in the
cold of winter...
Actually, as soon as I finish writ-ing
this, I plan on going outside to
take in spring’s first sights, sounds,
and smells in real time. To set the
mood, I am listening to Frank
Sinatra singing:
“Why is my heart dancing?
Imagine dancing!
You look at me, and suddenly
it’s spring...”
Yes, suddenly, yet expected-ly,
much-anticipated spring is
descending! Winter is receding and
will stay away until next December.
We are going to have three full
months of spring to savor, before
it gives way to summer.
Mark Twain tried to capture the
unique impact of springtime, the
ineffable yearning it evokes:
“It’s spring fever. That is what
the name of it is. And when you’ve
got it, you want – oh, you don’t
quite know what it is you do want,
but it just fairly makes your heart
ache, you want it so!”
Let us embrace the offerings.
Find a right way. Welcome the spell
of spring fever...
SPRING FEVER
March 2020 ¢ NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER 33