Hooray! Spring is finally warm and sunny!
Oh, *there* you are, sun! After what seems like an eternity of chilly rain and cloudy skies, are we ever glad to see you! Spring is such a season of anticipation, it can be tough to accept the process as it unfolds. We’re waiting and waiting for it to finally be warm and sunny and nice enough. But the wait is over! We’re there! The trees have greened up, the lilacs are blooming, and maybe, just maybe, we’re all done with jackets during the day. (But yum, a sweater in the evening... perfect.)
Make sure you are treating yourself to the experience of this glorious warmth, feeling the sun’s rays on your face and gentle breezes wafting on your skin. Go outside and remember how amazing it is to be at ease in the world, not needing to worry about bundling up or remembering your mittens. Spring blooms into a season of freedom, where being in this world suddenly feels so joyous and easy, and the birds singing and flowers blossoming transport our souls into happiness.
To even further that happiness, give yourself the treat of grounding your energies into the earth. Kick off your shoes and go barefoot for a moment – just stand on a patch of grass or other non-paved ground. Let the soles of your feet connect you to the deep wellspring of Mother Earth. Take a few intentional breaths, and feel yourself rooting, releasing, grounding. Let go of everything you no longer need and recharge with the fertile love of our living planet, our sacred home. Since shoes are a necessity most places we go, taking a moment to let our feet caress and be caressed by the earth feels so good.
Another great way to keep feeling good in these beautiful days is to get your garden going! Do you have your garden planned out and seeds started? Your first early starts in the ground? Gardening is not only a wonderful way to grow your own nutritious and uber-delicious food, but a simple way to practice mindfulness and be connected to our world. If you haven't yet, plant cold-tolerant starts like kale, collards, and lettuce, and also seeds for carrots and beets. Wait on the summer crops like cukes and squashes until June, and then after that, when the soil is nice and warm, transplant out your hot-weather loving seedlings like peppers and tomatoes.
If you don't have a lot of land available for a garden in the ground, containers are a fine way to get some plant power in your life - just be sure to drill drainage holes in your pots of choice if they don't already have them. Also be aware of thirsty pots! Without access to groundwater, container-grown plants can dry out quickly, so make sure your green babies have the drinks they need. Don't feel deprived by your lack of square footage - creative container gardens can be beautiful and bountiful! Even just an herb or two in a pot can bring joy to your kitchen!
In addition to growing tasty food for yourself, think about your neighbors and plant native flowers or shrubs when you are landscaping. Using native plants helps your ecosystem by providing birds, butterflies and bees with the foods that they have evolved to expect, and also avoids the problems that can be caused by non-native invasive plants. Our sister company, Tidy Thyme, wrote some posts last summer about supporting pollinators, and we recently discovered this awesome site where you enter your zip code and it tells what native species you should plant to encourage birds you'd like to see – even hummingbirds!
It is a magical thing, this sacred and spectacular world we live in. We are in the gentle glory days right now, the sun warm not scorching, the leaves still young and translucent, the flowers fragrant and lovely. Make sure to get out and appreciate the beauty that is a sunny spring day!