When I was a kid, spring was my least favourite season. I think it’s because it only felt like true spring—birds singing, buds opening, soft, warm rain falling—for a few weeks; before that, it wasn’t unusual to experience one final cold snap, and after that, there was the possibility of unseasonably hot days that felt more like summer. I don’t like unpredictability, and spring is the least reliable of all the seasons.
But as a parent, I’ve found a new love for spring. Because no matter how long it lasts, it means a shift toward easier. Less layers of clothing to put on every morning. No snowpants, hats or mitts to find (and lose!). No scraping the ice off of the windshield each morning while kids stand at the front door and argue (or, in the case of my younger daughter, play in the snow despite repeated asks not to and get soaked before school). Plus, as soon as the parks get over that disgusting muddy phase, it’s so lovely to get some fresh air after dinner (a favourite in our house is the Chicken Potpie Chowder), when the days are longer.
It’s funny, isn’t it, how age and experience change our perspectives. As a child and then as a young woman, I only saw the things that spring isn’t. But once you add a couple of delightful little girls to the equation, and a slate of responsibilities beyond just doing my homework or making plans with friends, now I will happily accept any small change toward growth, toward simplifying and toward fresh starts. I hope I can instill that message in my girls early, so they don’t just see the slush and muck. And if that’s not an analogy for life, I don’t know what is.
Happy spring, friends—I promise, it’s coming. And in the meantime, we’ve pulled together some great reads to pass the time until the thaw happens. We hope you enjoy.
Originally published in the Spring 2019 issue. Photo by Catherine Cachia.
