Fortune Cookie Friday: Hope Will Light The Way
We are approaching the spring or vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere, and I have always been fascinated by this season. The equinox marks the astronomical start of spring, when we have an equal amount of light and darkness.
I like imagining the seasons as periods of the day—morning, daytime, evening, and night. Spring is when we wake up and get moving.
Spring is the season of birth, transformation, and renewal. It’s the time of year when many animals have their young and plants begin to sprout and bloom. Of course, just like everybody wakes up differently in the morning, spring can vary from year to year and within that period.
Some people open their eyes in the morning, calm and refreshed, like the music “Morning Mood” from Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt. Others wake in an angry vengeance against life itself, like the music “O Fortuna” from Carl Orff’s cantata Carmina Burana. Needless to say, spring can be unpredictable. It’s one of the reasons I don’t put away my winter sweaters until May—sometimes later.
As turbulent as spring can be, there is always a sense of hope. We exit the sleepy winter months with more daylight each day and an itch for excitement. The increasing sunlight rejuvenates us and disinfects the gloominess of those winter blues. Possibilities abound, and we start planning for warmer outdoor activities.
I love watching the snowdrops bloom in my yard, followed by crocuses and the visiting bees. It won’t be long before the lazy days of summer are upon us and we are complaining about the heat, so I try to hold on to that hopeful feeling all year.
It can be challenging to be hopeful or even mildly optimistic when life around us changes at breakneck speed. Since I don’t have control over what happens in the world, I look for the good in everything and try not to sweat the little things.
No matter the season, we can find something positive to cherish, and that, in itself, is hopeful. The emerald greens of summer grass, the cornucopia of fall harvests, and the sparkling of crystalline snowflakes are just a sample of each season’s gifts. Revel in them when they arrive, and hold on to those feelings until the next one arrives.
As author Samuel Smiles said, “Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.” The seasons may change, and the wind may blow, but hope will light the way.
