Spring in my step
The transition from winter to spring has always been my favourite. To me, it is the only one that is very noticeable.
Generally, I am a winter person, but when that change from the cold and dark mornings to the green leaves and sound of birds approaches, I can’t help but feel that happy feeling spring seems to bring.
Recently, while I was driving to work, I spotted the hint of green sprouts at the ends of trees that I drive past every day.
Two days later, those same trees were almost covered in the vibrant green of the new leaves of spring.
Spring signals new beginnings and a sense of renewal and hope seems to fill most people around me, sometimes even more than the arrival of the new year. It gives the idea of a fresh start more than half the way through the year.
A chance to fix all the things you managed to mess up during the year like not doing more with your family or not working hard enough at your job.
Besides the metaphor of new beginnings, spring is just the perfect time for being social and being outdoors.
There is nothing better in the world for me than that first spring rain. Again, besides the metaphor for washing away the old to make space for the new, the rain just makes the air fresher.
There is the tradition that you are only allowed to swim after the first spring rain and I remember as a child waiting for that rain to come, as the clouds threatened for days with not a drop of rain.
The social life of the city starts up again in spring and the skimpy outfits for the season arrive, with some of the owners having not-so-bikini ready bodies.
The male ego flares in spring as well, with bare chests and chiseled abs starting to show.
People are more friendly when the warm weather sets in, because we as South Africans seem to thrive when the sun is out.
Only too often do I hear the curses and moans about winter and as soon as the temperature reaches a toasty 25°C, the conversation changes to how much we love the sun.
I think many of you, myself included, cursed the cold again this weekend as it came back to remind us that winter was not done with us yet. Thursday and Friday gave us hope that spring was finally here, but when the freezing wind came back on Friday night and stayed through the weekend I was more than a little surprised.
As soon as spring is really here, I for one will not be wishing the sun away as I have in previous years, as the wait for this year’s spring has felt like a lifetime.
