Shalom Lamm knows that Spring is the season that most people look forward to. We get to spring forward our clocks by one hour and begin to gain more and more hours of daylight. It is the season that brings the world out of the cold, long and dark months of winter as the temperatures start to tick up each day. Any snow on the ground starts to melt, we start to see and hear the birds coming back and making their homes again in the branches of the trees, and buds everywhere start to appear as the grass starts to get greener.
The Spring brings people back outside. The sights and sounds of landscapers cleaning up the grounds around homes and buildings is familiar. The freedom to walk or go for a jog through the neighborhood, take the kids to the park to get on the swings, ride bikes or hike through the local trails, and just breathe the fresh spring air are some of the favorite things the season brings. Vitamin D starved humans take advantage of being able to finally spend some time outside under the warm rays of the sun that has struggled to break through the cold for so long.
Restaurants start to open up their tables for outdoor dining and the sidewalks start to fill with families strolling through the streets of downtown areas everywhere, visiting shops and enjoying the fresh spring air. After being cooped up all winter long, being able to sit outside to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee, a lunch or dinner, or even just a cocktail with friends feels like a re-birth.
But one of the things that makes most people feel that Spring has truly arrived is getting back to gardening. Many gardens have sat dormant for so long throughout the harsh winter, but like Shalom Lamm, people are eager to get back out and tend to their flower beds, vegetable gardens, or quite frankly anything that they may have planted the year before. Gardening for the many people that venture to attempt it is cathartic and peaceful. It is easy to do alone and does not require large groups of people. Just being able to run hands through the soil of the earth and taking what starts as just a little seedling and nurturing it until it grows is almost equivalent to raising a child. Ok well not really, but for some it can feel that way.
There are so many things the Spring brings back no matter what part of the country people live. Some regions don’t feel the change of seasons like others do, but Spring still feels like a time of renewal. For those who just spent months in a deep freeze, it’s an opportunity to get back outside and connect with the people and the earth. For others who get to enjoy warmer and sunnier weather all year long, Spring still feels like a time to clean out the house, start fresh, enjoy the longer hours of sunlight, and feed the soul.