Spring Forward (What else can you do?)  This day of Spring Equinox can offer hope!

 

Activity this past, St. Pat’s Week, have lifted me from a rut of ‘winter time blues’ and engaged me to seek happy days these coming months this year.  And today, as I write, it’s Sunday, March 20, 2022, -- Spring Equinox.  Last week-end when we changed our clocks to daylight savings time (DST), we sprang forward.

 

 

So I should have been forewarned that surprising actions were ahead of me.  My first observation last Sunday morning was that my favorite personal watch now showed the correct, current time.  I didn’t I change it last autumn, didn't ‘fall back.’  My solar-powered watch is too smart for me.  I have trouble changing it -- so I just ‘shelved’ it on my bathroom window sill.  There, the sun’s rays kept it alive and waiting on me to care for it, wear it, in the Spring, like now, as we've sprung forward!

My point?  Staying alive means getting with the program, sir or madam!   You know, spring forward means stop being overwhelmed by ‘stuff’ and seek out the joy that is safely hidden deep, deep in your core or heart!  Why not?  What else can you do?  Mind your attitude!  Only you can fix you!  And it can be fairly simple: change your outlook!  Be positive!  Seek happy days!  Expect joy!  I’m not asking you to, like Chaucer’s Pilgrims, go on an annual pilgrimage.  (Remember Senior English class:  Geoffrey Chaucer was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for The Canterbury Tales.)  I am hoping to help you renew yourself, find some joy!

 

 

 

So, last Monday morning while I sat in the car outside our hospital waiting on Barb -- who was in a heart therapy session - I saw that the donations for our annual 2022 scholarship drive looked worrisomely short -  I made a few calls – with success!  We can make it!  With a little more help from our many TAC friends, we will, for the twelfth drive, be successful -- granting our 2022 RCHS Seniors scholarships!  (So, join me!  Participate!)

Next, moving on from last Monday, to Tuesday.  When I got to the library at my usual early time, my supervisor had my first-year employee evaluation form on the computer ready for me to complete.  What crossed my mind?   Spring forward, be positive!  I completed the form (I guess much faster than my boss expected) singing my own praises!  Sing a song of happiness!  Why not?

 

 

 

Thursday and Friday, our new house, nearing the end of its first year, had its scheduled refresh time:  three ‘touchup’ crews refreshing a lot of the surfaces.  They replaced millwork, painted areas, and caulked baseboards, counters and tubs.  The house looks great and the actions cost us nothing!  Happy Days!

Then this past Saturday, after the library closed to the public, I had my probationary meeting with my supervisor who responded positively to my comments on the evaluation form.   You see, I view this annual review process as one which can help me ‘renew’!  To give me a new point of view, a chance to see ways to help me enjoy the coming months  -- maybe years!  Growth Time!  At 80-years old, I, over this past winter, had begun to be negative; I was seeing my ‘time’ as, well, in the last stage.    My evaluation meeting with her not only had an ending, but also a beginning:  she was helping me take my life experiences as a teacher and adjust them to fit my new role as librarian.   She was great!

 

 

 

And now, today, the Spring Equinox.  I quote from the New York Times: “the spring equinox begins a season of fruitfulness and fertility, making it an excellent time to start something new. Perhaps you pick up a new hobby or tackle a bit of spring cleaning for a home refresh, for example.”

Thus, try to find the nerves to go deep and pull out the real you, and try to renew yourself!  Have a happy new you!

From Helen Keller: “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, heard, or even touched, they must be felt in your heart!”

 

 

Richard, Sunday, March 20, 2022