Spring equinox

I took a walk outside, today. Spring has arrived at last.

In the past week I could already smell it in the air - the green leaves, the small wild flowers, the warmth. Little butterflies dance under the mild sun, birds sing louder. And people seem...happy. You can almost see the coldness melt from their expressions right in front of your eyes. Slowly, heavy overcoats and scarfs are replaced by colorful and lighter cotton clothes. Children come out to play in the parks, where new and varied shades of green and yellow decorate the scenery.

And yet, the world hasn't changed; not literally. Everything is the same as two weeks ago. Those who had nothing to eat still starve; those who lost a dear one still grieve... But hope arises from everywhere you look. Spring is a promise of a new beggining. Rebirth... Ressurrection.

Those meanings remain in the christian's Easter celebration (although today it has a lot more to do with selling chocolates). To those who still celebrate the Ostara the old celtic ways, this is a time when life returns after a long, cold winter. And even if you don't celebrate anything at all, is hard not noticing how your body welcomes the season change. Animals, plants, insects, people... we all feel it. At some level.

Right now I see outside my window a dozen sparrows fluttering around a tree, singing. There's a couple embracing tenderly in the middle of the park and an ancient woman walking toward the sun, to sit under its warm fingers. The breeze brings me a scent of roast chicken and plants. And the life growing inside of me moves to the sound of a soft melodic song. She knows it too, I think. Spring has arrived at last.