Seasons

As a kid, I loved summer and fall, but as far as I was concerned, winter stopped being fun after about a month and spring was an evil that was unfortunately necessary to get summer back. This opinion didn’t really change when I grew up - summer had sunshine and swimming and fishing, fall had cider mills and my birthday, and December had Christmas and playing in the new snow, but the rest of the year? Blegh.

But now that I have begun to embrace a more natural, seasonal way of life...I love all four of the seasons, even rainy, inconsistent spring.

Summer is still full of sunshine and outdoor hobbies, of course. Now as an adult, I have the added bonus of being a schoolteacher, with two months of the summer off to focus on my garden and improving my house.

Autumn still has cider mills and my birthday, but now it’s also a time of harvest and preservation, and preparing for the winter. Although a lot of work (and the time that school starts again…), it is exciting and as beautiful as ever, with the brightly colored leaves and crisp air.

Winter, now, is a good for more than the initial month of playing in the snow - though that month is still one of my favorite times of the year. Winter is a time for rest, allowing me to spend time relaxing and cuddling my cat as I watch a movie or curl up with a good book, things I have very little time for the rest of the year. It’s also a time of dreaming, research, and preparation for the seasons ahead, when plans take shape and lessons get learned. My weekend days can be spent hunting in the woods, filling my freezer - and dinner table - with delicious meat, and baking breads and pies and pierogies on the dreary, cold days.

Then there’s spring. Ah, spring, the season I hated my whole life for its unending rain and up and down temperatures. But now, I’d honestly be happy if spring was a little bit longer. It’s a flurry of activity, getting seeds planted, the garden ready, crappie and bluegill caught, the house somehow, maybe cleaned, and the early greens watched for and foraged. It’s a time of rising life and nonstop activity and I love it - though yes, the rains till annoys me.

One of my favorite things about my life now is that there is no season that drags on and makes me suffer until its completion. Each one has its unique merits, and although I am always ready and excited when each new season begins, I’m also a little sad to leave the old season behind. Frankly, I’ve simply grown to love weather, and the joy I find in the natural rhythms of the world makes me grateful every day for the changes I’ve made and the path that I’m on. I’m still just learning how the world works, and I’m loving each discovery that I make.

So today, look out the window at whatever weather that you’re having...and be grateful for it. Get in tune with it. Work with the world around you, and enjoy each second of the passing seasons, because each one is beautiful.