Spring will save you (if you let it!)

A love note to the superior transitional season.

I am a spring.

Spring is romantic, like transitional seasons are. But spring’s romance lies in the future nostalgia of what will be, while fall’s romance lies in the nostalgic reflection of what was.

To live for the hope of it all might be a lyric from ‘August’, but it’s written from the perspective of someone looking back. Back when things were still changing for the better! It’s emblematic of how the start of April feels to me. It’s hopeful.

As a southern California native, I never understood the triumph of spring or the beauty of seasons in general until I moved to the East Coast. There’s something inherently human about surviving the cold and celebrating the warmth, then surviving the heat and celebrating the cool… together. It’s communal. A constant stream of 70-degree days is undoubtedly good for the psyche, but doesn’t connect you with your neighbors the same way enduring the seasons does. After getting a taste, I’m not so sure I could survive without them!

When I experienced my first spring in NYC, I was in awe. So many little moments of hope, joy and color were popping up around me. Now every year I look forward to those seasonal love letters:

• The first unseasonably hot day in late March or early April is euphoric. Everyone emerges from their winter dens and flocks to parks and patios wearing shorts and dresses. Pale skin out, desperate for vitamin D. I love seeing people close their eyes and turn their faces to the sun, hoping to take in as much of its shine as possible. It’s a fleeting few hours, but some of the best hours of the whole year. We are merely plants.

• When the city changes out its planters from winter greenery to budding tulips and daffodils. It’s a moment you might not notice unless you live in the city and are familiar with the streets and neighborhood parks. The tulips eventually become unruly and overgrown, spilling out bursts of pink and yellow and red petals.

• The best place to drink a spritz is on a rooftop, especially when it’s finally reopened for the warm weather season. Taking in the view of the skyline, from a perspective you haven’t seen in a while, never gets old.

• Seeing everyone take advantage of even the smallest pockets of nature. Yes, it is the concrete jungle, but there are thousands of green spaces waiting for you to enjoy them once again.

• The day you decide it is time to officially swap out your closet—oh, what a glorious day it is! Tucking away the coats and hanging up the sundresses and skirts is a great, great day.

• Walking down the street and seeing the most vivid puffs of pink cherry blossom and magnolia trees against brick buildings will always take my breath away. You never know when you’ll stumble upon something in full bloom!

Spring is nature’s way of saying—ONWARD! Even the dreariest winter won’t last forever, spring will always follow and welcome you into her embrace. An extra* meaningful metaphor as we emerge from one of the darkest and most unsettling ‘winters’ we’ve had in a while. Maybe ever.

I operate best when I have a quote or a mantra to guide me through the season of life I am in, and there are so many that speak to spring:

• “You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming” - Pablo Neruda

• “It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.” - Rainer Maria Rilke

• “There are always flowers for those who seek them.” - Henri Matisse

• “When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest.” - Ernest Hemingway

Take a moment to welcome the sunshine, the color, the warmth, and all the hope on the horizon! Things are incredibly heavy, but at least in this moment, they’re a little lighter. 🌷

xx, Caylee