I don’t like to give seasons so much credit for how I feel. But, after the rugged ending to this past winter, I’m just giddy in the sunshine and warmth now. And I’m not alone. Everyone I meet is acting like they’re part of some cornball Disney cartoon, kind of dancing around on tippy-toes in disbelief.

The good part is that people are feeling so outlandishly great. The down side is that no one, me included, wants to be inside for one second. Just feel how good this feels – says the outdoors.

So yesterday I went on a hike. The most popular trails are closed now because they are soft from the snow melt. But I live here. I know others. And this one was iridescent in the spring sunshine. The streams were full: crystal clear water crashing down over the huge granite rocks, sounding more melodious than any recording can capture, with the green moss glowing from deep pools or alongside. Leaves are not yet out, just bare tree trunks leaving sense of space in the woods. The sun is blindingly bright with no shade to shield it. And the birds are everywhere, flitting, singing.

How deeply appreciative one is of this scene now. Such a contrast to a few weeks earlier. Not long ago, but after such a stretch.

All this time goes into the earth’s transformation. To produce these moments. Such moments…

I tell myself, time also goes into making a piece of art. And then there is that creation. That culmination.

Spring comes and it will go. And art comes too. But with art, there is the chance, that precious chance, for a more sustained bloom.