The equinoxes and solstices are among my favorite days of the year, on par with Thanksgiving feasts and Christmas festivities. This year’s spring equinox took place on the evening of March 19, officially escorting us out of winter’s reflective hibernation and into the bright, expectant season of spring.
A stormy start.
Planning a recent trip to visit family, I was not thrilled to learn that another wave of atmospheric rivers was set to slam the California coast the day I would be driving the 300+ miles north from San Diego. Thanks to the weather app’s radar feature, I carefully mapped out a strategy to get ahead of the major storm front and circumvent the LA commuter traffic. Fingers crossed, I set out at the wee hour of 3AM.
A sigh of relief.
Surprisingly, the plan worked! I reached Santa Barbara at sunrise and since the rain had indeed lightened up, I decided to take the Chumash Highway, a beautiful 25-mile bypass though the Los Padres National Forest. Lake Cachuma was full like I’d never seen her, and the summits offered stunning views of lush, Irish-green rolling hills. Even under the cloudy, steel-blue sky, the surroundings were vibrant, rich, and alive.
“Leave the roads; take the trails.”
~ Pythagoras ~
I pulled off on a turnout to stretch my legs and get some fresh air. The atmosphere was more than just fresh: it sparkled with life and smelled of growth. There was a heaviness to it—not like an oppressive barometric pressure, but more like an abundance in waiting. It felt as if the months of nourishing rain had slaked the earth’s thirst and, now satiated and satisfied, she was taking a little rest while waiting for spring to give the signal that it was time to bring forth her bounty of potential, possibilities, and promise.
A potent promise.
A couple hours later, as I arrived at my destination, the evidence of the latest storm was palpable in the neighborhood—downed tree branches, flooding, and LOTS of mud. My mom had already re-righted her planters and rehung her bird feeders, and everything else seemed in pretty good shape. While I unpacked the car, I noticed a toppled plant pot on the side of her yard, a clear casualty of the recent storms, and made a mental note to take care of it before I left.
“The earth laughs in flowers.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~
On the clear, crisp morning of my departure, I went to fix the upended planter and stopped when I saw it. Smiling, I stood back up and took a moment to appreciate what had really happened to the unassuming container.
Several dozen spikey, gray-green daffodil stems had burst through the soggy soil all around and under the pot, which lay on its side with its own bounty of greenery spilling out on the ground. Ha! This clay pot hadn’t been blown over by the recent storms. It had been pushed over, literally, by a formidable community of dainty daffodil spikes just waiting to show their delicate flower faces to the world.
And there it was, clear as the sky was blue: Spring’s coming, and she’s not messing around!
Quietly observing the scene before me, I was reminded of “the voice” that came to me as I closed out 2023 and welcomed in the new year while sitting on a quiet island beach. 2024’s voice was insistent and a little pushy, just like the daffodils, lauding a message of fearlessness, power, and expansion, and inviting me to make room for the bright boldness of unleashed potential to emerge.
“Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.”
~ E.B. White ~
I had struggled with the tenacity of the voice that sailed in on the waves of the new year, much more comfortable with a lighter, gentler touch. But the paradox that sat at my feet that morning—delicate and dainty wielding such power and potential as to push aside a weighty presence to make room for their brightness to emerge in the world—was indeed a message for me. The spirit of spring had shown up with her seasonal invitation: keep hold of your delicate nature while simultaneously unleashing your bright and bold potential into the world. You can do both.
Planting the Seeds of Potential
Once again, the equinox extends an invitation as we enter the season of new beginnings, growth, rebirth, and renewal. The dream-seeds of winter—your ideas, wisdom, aspirations, and goals—are ready to be nourished and brought into the world. What, or how, do you want to grow this season? What abundance waits beneath the surface, just listening for the invitation to emerge? What is that bright and bold potential just waiting to be unleashed? Nature is waking up, the light has returned, and the spirited energy of the spring season is ready for you.