It is officially Spring time! Yippee! The air is warm today. In the Midwest winter hangs on far too long every year. You don’t even know the toll it has taken on your mind until the spring sun finally melts all the snow away. There is a surge of hope in the air for new beginnings, This is the Day!

I am a Preschool teacher again. In my forties, I don’t feel as limber as I once was, but my tolerance and patience have increased immensely since the after-school program I taught as a 21-year-old. Unexpectedly, I have been rewarded for my hard work with inspiration from these little ones. Here are some of the lessons I have learned.

In our basement sits my paternal grandmother’s piano. It is the only heirloom I have from her. If sold it wouldn’t bring much money, but it is priceless to me. Pressing its keys, I am reminded it needs tuning. Like this piano, I think people can get pulled out of tune. When circumstances shift and routine is halted it is easy to feel life go flat. The rhythm feels disjointed in seasons of change.

Procrastination is not our friend. He is a menace who tries to steal our success. He sounds just like us, so we often are fooled by his schemes. Still, we can find a better way.

I was scrolling through Facebook reels when I came across a video: How to make a magical garland using post-bloomed dandelions. I watched the 30-second reel in amazement. As I heard, “Such a garland creates a beautiful and magical experience for young and old alike,” I was convinced, so I got started on creating my own.

What’s in your hand? With the answer to this question comes an invitation to act right now. To be present, in this moment. To lean into the bright lyric of the bird’s song and to breathe in and out slowly so as to pick up the hint of lilac on the breeze.

“Almost there,” I whispered to myself as I squinted my eyes toward the puffy cumulus clouds. The sky hung above in brilliant blue beckoning me as my pointed toes reached. My body stretched like an arrow in the launch as my hands gripped the chains. As quickly as I almost reached the sky gravity pulled me back. Hauling myself into a sit position with my legs curled under I sailed backward. This was the tallest swing in any park I had ever played in.

I’m ready for the new season to begin, how about you? Under the snow, I believe new growth has begun. What if it took a winter for the richest things in us to finally rest long enough to bloom again? Are you ready for a fresh start?

Have you ever experienced aching muscles after lifting weights or moving boxes? You know how out of shape you are when the pain is even worse on the second day. This resistance is nothing compared to the battle we face when we try to do something very important with our lives. Heads up! Get ready for a fight.