Spring? What spring? It’s Easter today, and I needed a coat! Truthfully, we have had many spring days this last month… followed by several cold days… followed by several spring days… followed by… oh, you get my drift. Consequently, Spring Fever hasn’t hit a “fever’ pitch yet.
I always thought Spring Fever was misnamed. Sure, adults long for spring, but kids? They long for summer vacation. The warm weather makes them want to be done with school. Seems to me it should be called “Summer Fever.” I also have always thought that resolutions should fall on April 1. Most places in America are seeing spring by April 1. On the first day of the new year, I’m not really serious about my resolutions. But when spring comes, and I now cannot hide my winter eating with layers of clothing and a coat, I am suddenly inspired with resolutions! Or maybe we could make the resolution day on the spring equinox. Then thirteen days later, we can say, “April Fool’s” for all the resolutions we didn’t keep!
If you have a gifted child who is prone to indoor activity – say, gaming, for instance – don’t allow him to miss spring. My favorite gifted kids are the ones who love life and all it offers. Take your kids hiking out at the refuge or fly kites in this Oklahoma wind. Fish or bike or just go visit some small town for its annual festival.
We military families know how to enjoy an area. Very seldom did we live anywhere over four years. In that four years, we participated in every festival we could find in the area, ate at all the famous diners, and visited every museum. This is because we were often told that no rich man could afford to live in as many places as we would during our military career, so we should get as much out of it as we could. Consequently, our kids are very well-rounded.
I have been back in Lawton for fourteen years now, and I find that I don’t explore as much as I used to. Work often consumes so much time that I’m too exhausted to do so. My husband and I decided to explore a nearby town on our date night last Friday night, though. We had a wonderful Italian dinner, and then we drove around, marveling at how much the town had grown since we last went there some twenty years ago. Just getting out and exploring stirred all those memories of spring Saturdays in Texas when we’d go driving just to see the wildflowers Ladybird Johnson planted along the highways. I guess you could say that my heart has spring fever, “spring” in this case being a return to life of my recreational being. I think I’m going to let it in. All work and no play makes my life… perpetually winter.
Easter is a celebration of the greatest “coming back to life ever.” He did all that just so I could fellowship with Him in the world He created. I think I’ll go outside and enjoy it! Happy Easter, y’all!
- Michelle