By: Gabriela Yareliz
Happy March! We enter the month that invites an unstable spring into our lives.
It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. -Charles Dickens
It’s the season of spring break and someone hitting the brightness switch. If you turn on the news, the world is quite literally exploding (a lot happening)— but I am here to turn the dial back into nostalgia. Nostalgia has been tugging on me lately. Simpler times. It’s like now that we have so much technology, we can’t seem to get our sh*t together. It’s almost like we must do less now because stupidity hampers progress and execution.
You can’t even go on a trip without it turning into an episode of Survivor.
There are days when I miss wandering through St. Augustine, others where I miss camping, some days, I miss the ice cream at The Villages, some days, I miss a good run that fills the lungs up, and some days, I just miss that vibrant feeling of being surrounded by young families doing activities together (and no, this does not include city people with dogs— dogs are dogs, not children). NYC has a deficiency in healthy young families (this societal issue is a completely different problem for another post). I miss the families who went on bike rides together, you know? One gets tired of only witnessing the one mom on the train screaming at her toddler that she will kick his ass if he doesn’t behave. This is not the vibe.
There was a vibrancy to spring through the eyes of a child. Spring felt different, depending on where we were. But the truth is, no matter what it looked like, I loved it deeply.
In Michigan, I remember the rains, robins and the explosions of tulips and daffodils. The clusters of daffodils were my favorites. The tornado warnings would start. The torrential rains would leave the running track covered in tiny pink worms lightly dusted with the darkest soil you had ever seen. We would start training for field day.
In South Carolina, there was a scent of moisture that would permeate our little school when the weather would grow damp and warm. The grass was greener, and the colors of the houses seemed brighter. The honeysuckle trees would load up, and we’d sit in the grass chewing on the tips of these sweet sweet flowers like little bees glued to their nectar. It was a time of pastel dresses and fun little hats. Camping and adventures.
In Ohio, suddenly, the gray skies would open up to sunshine, and the world looked different. The porches looked inviting, and the dirt would be dark with moisture, and the flowers would appear almost what felt like overnight. Suddenly, it was as bright as the dELiA*s spring collection catalog. It would be a time to return to the park; a return to the basketball courts. The arboretum stream was stronger; the geese were meaner.
In Florida, the thawing was slight, but the world slowly colored itself green again. The brown dry grass would return to its gloss. In middle school, it was track season. We would run in circles until we couldn’t see straight anymore. The popular girls would complain, and Coach Thomas would make them run two more laps. For some reason, it was the season of peach deodorant for me as a kid. My gosh, I remember I had a peach gel deodorant with glitter in it. Why I needed sparkly underarms is beyond me. (I always did love a sparkle).
Here in NYC, as an adult, I always impatiently await that moment where the trees load up with their flowers and fill us with wonder. It feels like a moment where young college dreamers and workaholic adults alike gather strength from the temporary gifted beauty that surrounds us. We stand under trees in hopes to get showered in petals in shades of white and pink.
At the smallest hint of sunshine, I would take myself to Washington Square Park in a skirt and expose my pale legs to start getting some vitamin D. Those escapades usually ended in me shivering my pale little legs back to my studio apartment.
What does spring invite you to do or remember? My coach, Dr. Edie Wadsworth wrote a beautiful post on her knitting, little Tom running track (nostalgic for me) and her son and his family due to have twins on Tuesday. It made me feel that spark of spring vibrancy. It was a post filled with life— zoe (ζωή), you know?
I think that it’s time to break routine and take more mid-day walks. Wear more color. Bust out the sunglasses. Play music from the early 2000s. Drink a fun iced drink (I tried a matcha cloud recently— it was lovely). Plot fun memories and events to attend. I have always said I believe adults should get a spring break. We need to craft our own collection of small joys.
Anytime you look around and think— the world is bonkers, remember that spring is arriving. It’s up to us to create the joy, the families, the memories, the traditions, the connection to nature, the outdoor excursions that make us feel ALIVE— it’s all up to us.
It’s up to us to plant something that will bloom and stand beneath the floral trees in wonder.
GABRIELA YARELIZ 