Out of Sorts

Spring has always been an introspective time for me.... a time to think about the year that has passed while making plans for the new year, time to make changes, time to begin again and move forward. Spring is not my favourite season - I prefer fall with its feeling of things accomplished and ready for rest.

I have felt decidedly out of sorts all weekend, and so I did what I would advise any of my patients to do when they are feeling down - get outside, get busy, get doing something. Patients?? Yes, well, I am a behavioural psychologist by training, and altho right now my patients consist of my own little family, it still counts! So I spent the afternoon cleaning out all the dead growth in the flower beds and garden, raking, hauling leaves and plants to the compost pile, admiring the new crocus blooms, and encouraging all the new growth of iris and peony, columbine, sedum, daisies, clematis, lilac and flax. I listened to the robins and sparrows - the robins were reminding me to fill their water dish, and enjoyed a rare visit from a downy woodpecker. I unearthed hundreds of ladybugs from their winter rest among my mint plants.

After clearing out all but one last flower bed, which will wait til later this week, I sat on the deck and enjoyed a hot cup of tea in the sunshine, and I felt decidedly better. Maybe clearing out all the debris of this past winter was what was needed - maybe just the work and sunshine - maybe realizing that it is all do-able again this year! Whatever.... it worked :)