Ladybugs, Worms, and Dirt

Spring Equinox (Equinox = Equal Night)

It's coming, I promise. Actually, the promise is all around you, you just need to notice.

Look for signs of spring: Ladybugs, worms, birds chirping and the return of the geese. Feel your own blood rise like the sap of the sugar maple. Embrace the fresh new energies that emerge from far beneath the soil. Imagine the movement deep under your feet: Pale white roots reaching down as tender greens shoot toward the surface. Worms and insects begin to wiggle and squirm, eager for their first day of sunshine, loosening and aerating the dirt as they squirm. Larvae of every kind begin to uncurl, still dreaming of the tender leaves they will soon munch.

Watch for movement in the air. Ladybugs drop out of nowhere to land at your feet on the bedroom floor. The errant moth flutters by, and a sunny day wakens that fly you thought you were done swatting at last fall. Listen beneath trees and around bushes for the sound of birds celebrating the end of this long, hungry winter. Watch the skies for the return of our winged fair-weather friends.

Note the length of the day as the pale spring sun begins to shine more brightly and touch your shoulders more firmly

. Stand outside under the sun and again at night under the moon; lift your arms up to the skies and turn your face to the orb above you. Breathe in the spring air and imagine green gardens, warm breezes, and fragrant lawns. Imagine feeling the dirt beneath your bare feet or ocean waves tickling your toes. Know that it is coming, and smile.

Then, if it snows one more time this season, close your eyes and imagine it all again.