Has spring sprung?

Hello, lovelies. The days are definitely getting lighter. The winter coats are being put away, safely back in the wardrobes for another year. And with the arrival of the beautiful cherry blossom on the trees, it appears that spring is finally here. The weather is getting warmer, is this truly a sign if things to come, or are we counting our chickens before they hatch? I think that the one thing that we can be truly happy about is that spring is here. All my dark winter clothes seem out of place in the new sunshine. My customary knee-high boots are beginning to be too hot and uncomfortable to wear all day long. And I find myself daydreaming of summer holidays in far off shores. But am I jumping on to the spring bandwagon way too soon? What if the weather changes again, as it often does, and I’ll need that heavy winter coat again? If I switch out my winter wardrobe for my summer clothes, will I look silly if everyone else is still wearing their full winter gear and I’m in shorts and flip flops? And daydreaming of a holiday is not only impractical, its pie in the sky. How can I be thinking about leaving the country when leaving my house is now frowned upon? So how can I celebrate spring without climbing every mountain and singing at the top of my voice? Rain drops on roses really are beautiful. So how can I celebrate spring? And that got me thinking. A couple of years ago, my best friend had the hare-brained idea to start an allotment. Not being a fan of bugs, especially spiders, it has been very funny to watch her interact with all the creepy crawlies. But come rain or blistering hot sunshine, she is at her allotment, spade in hand, planting all manor or seeds and blubs. And her plot is stunning. It has everything you might need. All sorts of fruit and veg, flowers both beautiful and essential for the bees. She looks after every stage of the growth of her blubs. She tends them. Waters them. Wraps them up to stop the damage from the morning frosts. Everything that allotment needs it gets, no questions asked. If only I took the same level of care for myself. I have always assumed that I take very good care of myself. Well, perhaps not very good care. Reasonable care, maybe? Passing care? Any sort of care? But I don’t. In fact, I don’t think that any of us really take the time and attention that our bodies need. We’re so busy running our lives, homes, jobs, children, families, relationships that there is hardly a second to spare to pamper ourselves. No, not even pamper. Some nights, after a long, long day of work that I struggle to take my make-up off, let alone have a soothing bath, maybe a face mask, to restore any sort of normality to my aging, neglected body. So maybe that’s what I can do to herald in the spring. Maybe the lengthening days can inspire me to tending to my basic selfcare. With a new season, I can grow to the new me. The one where I allow myself time and attention, the same way that I care and tend to those around me. With spring having sprung, and new beginnings possible, recharging our worn-out batteries after months of dark days and even darker headlines, is possible. We can now throw open our windows to clear the winter blues. It’s time to plant the seeds of self-care, and allow our lives grow.

Life is getting better