March 12, 2021
There is No Fake Spring
There is no such thing as “fake spring.” There is only now, and if you’ve been given the gift of a beautiful day, you ought to take it, instead of hedging or apologizing, instead of deciding not to get too comfortable. It’s a funny meme, the idea of fake spring, and I understand it entirely, this being my 42nd March in the northern hemisphere, but I am also tired of the way that meme culture leaks into ordinary life rendering all of us cynical and blase about such extraordinary events as golden sunshine and blue skies, the stupefying certainty of despair. As though everyone is afraid to be hopeful, mostly because they’re afraid to be wrong, and it’s just easier to decide that nothing good can ever happen. As though we ever know more than the world does, with the miracle of its cycles and changes, all its secrets and mysteries, expansive capabilities. And while there indeed still stands a very good chance of there being ice storms at the end of April, why is that any less of a reason not to glory in the sun today, or require such glory to come with a caveat? Like those people in England who used to reply, “We’ll pay for it later,” anytime somebody commented on the weather (which was often) and the weather was pleasant (much rarer). As though fate were two columns of debits and credits, as though balance were the point, as though it’s bad luck somehow to take your win, accept your gift, to take a moment to stop and be thankful for all this, regardless of what comes after. As though now wasn’t actually all we have, which is another way of saying: everything.
Could you turn this bit of wisdom into a billboard and make them post it somewhere the whole city can read it, please, Kerry? Much needed. I’ve been one of those who feel, in some dark corner of my soul, that I’ll pay for happiness or sunshine. That could be my gloomy fatalistic Jewish half or my gloomy fatalistic British half. Anyway, thanks for perspective and cheer, as always.
Thank you, Beth! xo
I love this.
So glad. Thank you!
This is so true Kerry. I don’t know why people are afriad to just ENJOY good weather when it comes. Our weather is so chaotic in Calgary since we live close to the mountains that our girls know we will pretty much let them drop everything to go play outside if it is warm enough to do so. Although I have to say with the pandemic they were more open to playing outside all winter bundled up so completely that I didn’t have to worry much about them maybe getting too close to their friends for a moment because they were all walking Stay Puft Mashmallow men in their snowsuits. I find that people here just LOVE to complain about the weather – and that may be everywhere but here is what I know best. If we get one week of rain in the summer people will complain that we haad a terrible and wet summer even if we had four weeks of heat and sun preceeding that one week of rain. I always think the best thing to do for mental sanity is just to accept the weather of where you are living and work with it. We know there will be another snowstorm in March, and probably April, and most likely May too.But that doens’t mean that today isn’t a beautiful spring day and I don’t think there is any penalty for enjoying it – but definitely one for not enjoying it.
People love to complain about everything. It’s kind of awful. Like you get one single precious life….