This winter has perhaps been the longest I have ever experienced. I know I’m not alone in that thought as several others have also mentioned how, for some inexplicable reason, winter has dragged her feet this time round.
During this cold season, I succumbed to sickness, which for me is quite unusual, Alhamdulillah. It’s been a long time since I was confined to my bed completely envervated. On top of that, the cold weather has been extreme and left everyone with little desire to do anything except curl up in bed under a warm blanket and sleep – anything to help get through the cold. If hibernation had been possible, I think I would have happily volunteered to have skipped so many cold days and unbearably long nights these last few months.
The global economoy hasn’t helped lift spirits either. With runaway prices of everyday items in stores continuing to move at breakneck speed, together with the cost of living, it’s all culminated in quite a depressing and sombre time. Then there’s been the ongoing genocide in Palestine which hasn’t abated…
Despite this, seeing tiny blossoms peak through the ground, and similar blossoms on trees in recent days, has worked wonders for my soul. For me, they are potent reminders of Allah’s reassurance that no single situation is permanent. Even the drabness has to succumb to beauty at some point. The two will always be in competition and at different times, one will claim victory over the other. This is the very nature of life itself – full of ups and downs. It has joyous occasions punctuated by sadness and vice versa. It is a perpetual cylce which we will find ourselves in. Right now, with the onset of Spring, I feel I am entering a refreshing phase of a lightened mood and expectant ease. It’s strange because in reality, I know nothing has actually changed in my life. The bills keep increasing, nothing fantastically different has occurred and the daily grind is the same. Yet, just seeing the manifestation of change and re-emergence of life forms in nature, is enough to make me feel buoyant.
I guess I interpret the arrival of new flowers as an opportunity to check in on myself and grant myself permission to take leave of absence from the monotonous routine. The buds and shoots emerging from the ground are evidence of hope in all things. Despite the drudgery all around, beauty can still be found and it can be intense. It dominates all else. I relish the moments I have to get lost in that reverie. It’s necessary. It’s therapeutic. It’s enriching.
It’s amazing what a small group of seemingly insignificant buds can do to cause a whole new feeling of wonderment and excitement to erupt deep within the soul.
No doubt, Spring is a visitor welcome at anyone’s door.
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