Leaping into Spring

Spring Fling

“…It is a serious thing

just to be alive

on this fresh morning

in this broken world.

I beg of you,

do not walk by

without pausing…”

                                        Mary Oliver

                                        From: Invitation

“Spring has returned.  The Earth is like a child that knows poems.”

                                        Rainer Maria Rilke

          Mary Oliver wrote about the raucous songs of goldfinches in her poem, “Invitation.”  She invites us to pause and listen to all that is going on around us---background noise of our daily life.  Here in Alabama, I live close enough to train tracks to hear trains go by about every fifteen minutes.  I had no idea there were still so many trains when I moved here.  I’ve grown to like to the sound of their rumble and long, low whistle, but this spring with my young dog, Liza, I have discovered that I can no long sleep with the windows open.  With every train she barks as though Jack the Ripper is breaking into the bedroom.  Not all background sounds are worth the loss of sleep.

          Spring also brings pollen and weather.  Here in Tornado Alley, we are experiencing severe weather warnings about two days per week.  Today is going to be one of those horn-blaring, run-to-the-basement days.  We’ve become rather cavalier about them, really.  Most of us hear the horns and flip on the radio or TV.  If the storm is passing slightly north, or slightly south, we go on about our business.  It is a dangerous world we live in—can’t let a little tornado stop you.

          Spring time is a great reminder that like us, Mother Nature has her light and dark sides.  She can be resplendent and lovely with blooms and birdsong, or she can be ruthless and destructive.  Native Americans would say, “As within, so without.”  And they would be correct.  Nature exists in all of creation.  Dark and light, yin and yang, side by side and both are active.  Today, I hope you will monitor yourself for the rise and fall of Mother Nature.  Be aware of dark and light, of persona and shadow—and appreciate them both.

                                        In the spirit,

                                        Jane