Evergreen

Alas, long-awaited, sweet summer is here. After what felt like the longest winter in the history of winters, spring made a quick appearance (50 degrees?) and then we shot up to the 70s +. Bring on the Vitamin D and hold the humidity! Being diabetic, you (or at least, I) run vitamin D deficient, which is excellent when you live in a part of the country that has extremely long winters and are already prone to the seasonal blues. We do have some bright, sunny days in the winter in both Michigan -where I’m originally from, and Central/Upstate New York -where I live. I lived in Idaho a few years ago, and the snow falls atop the mountains and creates a truly picturesque winter scene there. I also lived in Oregon for several years, and those winters were “mild” when it came to actual snowfall, but intense when it came to gray skies and depression. The evergreen trees will pop against the dull, gray sky, giving you a bit of hope that life does carry on amidst the gloom. In other parts of the country, we call that “stick season” as virtually all trees in some parts lose all of their leaves, truly creating the illusion that you’re living among sticks. When you know that a tree has the potential to be lush and green, produce flowers and even change colors, it’s naturally a bit underwhelming to look out instead at a sea of sticks all winter. Like clockwork, I always feel barren and lackluster in the winter months. I want to hibernate like a bear and rise from my mossy burrow in the spring, ready for a stretch & a little snack. But, hibernation hasn’t been on the adulting menu, so pushing through like the rest of the humans has been my only option. That makes the feeling of summertime that much sweeter.

This spring, I felt present enough to really watch the earth come to life and enjoy the seasons changing. I literally squealed when I saw flower buds popping up on the apple trees at the nearby orchard. Day by day, the trees kept blooming, and it felt like the road was covered with shade from lush green leaves almost overnight. The shade of green itself will continue to change as we move through summer into fall. The weather yo-yoed a few times, as it does, but spring flowed into summer pretty quickly here. Mother Nature is in her blooming glory, and yet we have that underlying fleeting feeling that summer is going to be over like that. All of a sudden, weekends are booked up, and even though we have those long summer days to savor, they seem to fly by. Then we watch the leaves fade and fall, and we’re right back to where we started the year. So, with that said, I think we can do two things -

First, we can slow down and savor summer. “Cliche!” you’re thinking, but you know it’s easier said than done. Some nights seem to fade by uneventfully, when we could’ve gone for a sunset walk, out for ice cream, found a place to swim, fished, lit a bonfire, enjoyed dinner on the patio, or even simply sat outside and looked at the stars. I am going to prioritize being present and making the most of the opportunities the summertime gives us to relax and enjoy these simple pleasures (especially without a parka on).

And second, as the seasons change, we can make a conscious effort to look for both the evergreen and the potential for new life. It’s so easy to get fixated on the sea of sticks and only really see the lack. “The trees are dead and so am I!” says your seasonal depression. But, where there stand barren trees also stands the opportunity for growth and new life. And that in itself is beautiful in its own way. While there may be barren, dead-looking sticks standing tall among us for a while, it won’t be forever. And meanwhile, there are trees that are evergreen -maintaining their lush green color throughout the year despite the seasonal changes. No matter what the season brings, the evergreen trees stand tall and full, reminding us that life is out there and can sustain even the harshest of winter storms. The evergreen is always providing us a burst of beauty and color-where there may be barren colors on the horizon and gray skies above us, there is still lush green life year-round to enjoy.

As seasons change, life truly goes on. Some seasons feel longer than others. We look forward to some and seemingly loathe others. But there is beauty to be embraced in every season & stage of this life, if we can slow down and find it. When life is going good, be present and embrace it. When it’s getting hard, slow down and look for both the evergreen and those barren trees. One reminds us life goes on and sustains, and the other reminds us that new life lays ahead in only a matter of time.