They say (that’s how you start a rumour) that the secret of originality is to conceal the source.
And so, when my mind turned to Spring I remembered a little verse my mother used to quote:
Spring is sprung, the grass is ris,
I wonder where da boidies is?
They say the boid is on da wing,
But that’s absoid!
Everyone knows da wing is on da boid!
I have always believed this was the work of American poet and humorist, Ogden Nash.
But a quick Google check shows many claims (or confessions) of being the original source.
Be that as it may, Spring is a special time all over the world, and much has been written of it.
It is, literally, the time when flowers begin to bloom again, birds return and nature puts on her best clothing.
This is extremely reassuring to those who live in fear of what we are doing to our Earth.
After all, the history of mankind is an endless chronology of disaster, destruction and despondency which leave us on the perpetual brink of uncertainty and anxiety.
However, nature tells us otherwise; there is stability in the way seasons come and go as they have done since the dawn of time.
The steady, slow rhythm of the seasons contradicts the incredible sprint of our evolving and rapid ‘progress’, the current manic phase being termed ‘The 4th Industrial Revolution’.
Well, the world has been revolving on its axis for eons, without the help of the internet, so trust in nature for your stability.
At the risk of sounding pretentious, the coming of Spring also lends itself to metaphor and allegory, and some wise writers have penned wonderful thoughts concerning nature’s life lessons
Robert H Schuller, the proponent of ‘human potential’ as the basis for religion (and disregarding the fact that his multi-million dollar empire went bankrupt) said:
‘Never cut a tree down in the Wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The Spring will come.’
A word of warning, though, from Henry David Thoreau: ‘I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been.’
Motivational author Guy Finley also hit the wise note with: Once something has outlived its usefulness in one area of life, its purpose for being in existence is no longer the same. The leaf that captures a stream of sunlight, and then transfers its energy to the tree, serves one purpose in the Spring and Summer, and another completely different one through the fall and Winter.’
Which is some comfort, I guess, for those of us who are past the Spring and Autumn of our lives…and well into the Winter.
