The Garden At Rock Cottage by Lance Brilliantine

The Personal Meaning of Spring
Spring can be a wonder or a horror depending on how you look at it. The choice is yours, of course. We can either look back to the ravages of winter or forward to the wonder of renewed life. History has known many springs that are either good and bad, and is witness to the inimitable force of life that affects us all.

Thank goodness someone in my childhood took the time to show me how to observe the subtle forces of nature that are especially evident in spring. I see them every day as I walk through the garden and note tender shoots pushing up against all odds. It is, I believe, this springtime force that energizes us, creates a positive perspective, and compels us to move forward, to survive and succeed.

When I think of spring, I often think of my grandmother, who loved the spring. I recall the excitement of opening the beach house with that unmistakable smell of damp and mustiness that was there every year. (Spring is also about consistency.) There was also the cool breeze by the beach that kissed our faces and ran its fingers through our hair. And there was always Easter – which was about rebirth.

Spring is a time for renewal. I wait all winter just to see crocuses and daffodils appear again. I recall how much I loved watching ducklings and chicks grow when I was a child. I even recall a special pet duck named Sally. Her memory and the thought of her nuzzling my hand with her bill will always be something I think of in spring. For all time, spring has renewed and rekindled the spirits of creatures.

Stories of the rich and famous remind me that spring is the essence of everything that lives and the force that helps us to evolve. The great Caruso’s music teacher, I am told, said he had no voice and could not sing; Beethoven’s music teacher told him he was hopeless and would never compose; a newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he had no good ideas; and Abraham Lincoln was demoted from captain to private in the Black Hawk War. And yet, the power and force of spring, inherent in each of us, can move us to great things when the force is put to use.

I remember spring because of the energy I feel – like a young stallion that wants to run. Even in my advancing years, the feeling always comes back. That certain sense of freedom that never leaves and beckons me to run free once more, to hear the thunder of the land, to feel the spirit of abandonment.

When I think of spring I also think of colors. The purple of the jacaranda trees in Mexico that paint lilac hues across the City; the colors of crocuses and tulips and daffodils; the yellow of forsythia; and oh, that special green of spring, unlike anything else in the world.

I feel akin to the excitement of spring in the animals around me. The birds are busy building nests and chattering more than weeks ago. The squirrels do their ritual run and chase across the branch-tops, showing off their prowess to entice a mate. There is far more chatter and energy in all of us.

We have an old dog. Her name is Astor. She no longer hears well, her eyesight is cloudy and she is stiff with arthritis. She mostly stays in her bed situated in the corner of a closet. Some days she is in a fog. As frail as she is, Astor, too, cannot resist the force of spring, and longs to be put outside on a flannel mat to relish in the joy of the season. Perhaps I am “transferring,” but I believe she knows she has made it through another winter, and has arrived again at life.

You know, to achieve a full, equal and sane world, we must remember spring and incorporate its feelings year round. Where there is spring there is spirit. In spring, concerns die away and are replaced by a common force by which we all can live.
As you have the opportunity this spring – commingle with the best this world has to offer!

You can contact Lance Brilliantine with any questions or comments at GardenLance@yahoo.com.