Today is the first day of Spring. The vernal equinox will happen tonight at 9:49pm in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the earliest (March 19th) it has been in 124 years. Within this century, we will see a significant increase in March 19th equinoxes, and towards the end of the century most of them will be on March 19th. Then, in 2100, when we skip a leap year, it will reset and be on March 20th or 21st again for a long time. Today is the beginning of something none of us have experienced in our lifetime.
It doesn't feel like a spring day out there, with clouds, and rain, lightning storms and, later, snow. And yet, below the surface of the ground, seeds are cracking. They're starting to move, some are breaking through the frozen, dark ground. Change is coming. Soon enough, we will have new green grass and flowers, and tomato plants and tiny little bean strings coming out of the ground. Transformation is happening right in this moment.
And if we were to use our imagination, and anthropomorphize for a bit, we can imagine the seeds being scared, experiencing new pain and suffering they haven't experienced. They might be separated from all their old friends in the seed package or bag, they might suddenly feel lonely and scared and confused about what's happening and what it will end up like. I imagine a terrified experience down below our feet happening right now.
It's also scary up above. We are all isolated, perhaps away from loved ones, unsure as to how they're doing or where they are and when we might see them again. We are all experiencing thoughts and pain and suffering we might have never thought of or experienced in our lives.
Some of us have walked close to the edge of mortality or have experienced great deals of "Lack of". Gratitude might come easier when we've come close to pain and loss. Most of us have not, we have been lucky, blessed, fortunate, privileged enough to live in a society of abundance, of plenty: of safety, of comfort, of food, of water, of health. This is a huge shock to the system. We can't imagine what it's like on the other side. We don't know what this cracking and breaking down is all about it. It's lonely. It's uncomfortable. It's not familiar. And it's F******! scary.
Nature provides the answer. Change hurts. It's confusing. It's painful. It's unknown. But the seed just goes on with it, just allows, not thinking twice. Nature always provides the answers we need. Seeds, they just go with it and allow the cracking to happen. Knowing that it just happens, it is what it is, and we cannot become the plant without the pain of transformation.
And then, suddenly, there's green all around. And flowers. And plants that will feed and nourish our bodies and bring smiles to our faces. Perhaps the seeds take a look around and notice their old friends, also in different forms now, also transformed. Perhaps there's some giggle and double takes and leaf high fives for having made it through. Let us imagine.
It's Spring today. Growth is happening. We will come out and play and sing again. We will hug, and hold hands, and have parties and weddings and races and kick a ball around and we will all look back and remember when we didn't and couldn't; and we must always remember how great it is to have when we have and we must never take it for granted again.