The Unexpected Joy of Springtime
Today’s post is based on a combination of two writing prompts I shared in two previous Daily Drafts & Dialogues posts: Joy and Springtime. Keep reading to see what I wrote, and to access more prompts.
What I wrote below is based on a combination of the following two writing prompts:
Set a timer for ten minutes. Once you start the timer, start free writing about joy or the last time you experienced joy.
Write a poem or fictional scene that depicts or embodies springtime. Or write a journal entry about what you like and or dislike about springtime.
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The Unexpected Joy of Springtime
A few weeks ago, I got lucky when my husband and I were out for a walk with our dog, Lilly.
In many respects, there was nothing terribly remarkable about the walk. In most ways it was like any other walk we had taken together on previous weekends, and weekends since. It was in the morning, the sun had just risen, and there was minimal traffic of all kinds as most of the neighborhood was still asleep or just starting to wake up, including the birds and rabbits… and plants.
Yet on this day, as we approached the corner of the entrance to our neighborhood, I noticed something I hadn’t ever bothered to notice before: sap oozing out of the side of a tree. I can’t tell you why I became so entranced by it. I just did. I have seen plenty of trees in my life, believe it or not. And I have, at least once or twice, even seen sap on those trees. But this tree drew me in for whatever serendipitous reason, spurring an unexpected joyful experience.
After seeing it, I pointed the sap out to my husband, who also marveled at it, along with Lilly. Then, together, we took our time inspecting the rest of the tree, noticing the neon green sprouts all over it, wondering when its branches would bloom and what they would look like this year compared to last. We wondered how the birds and insects interacted with it and what the sap’s purpose was. And we envisioned what the tree would look like and smell like after its new branches were fully formed.
Eventually we carried on with our walk, but that experience colored the rest of it in the best way possible.
For the rest of that walk, we stopped periodically to inspect other shrubs and trees as well, all of which I usually pass by without a second thought. Some were vibrant and in full bloom, some were still dormant, and others were dead— all at various stages of life, though most were still sprouting. And this reminded me, oddly enough, about why I don’t usually enjoy springtime.
While others celebrate the warmer weather and returning birdsong and marvel at the perennials and plants returning each spring, I’m reminded of the time of year that tends to bring me bouts of profound melancholy: the anniversary of my mother’s death.
Typically, while others are enjoying the flowers blooming in gardens of all shapes and sizes, I’m reminded of the freshly cut (and dying) flowers at my mother’s memorial service. It’s an odd thing to admit, but it’s true, perennials and springtime often make me sad and make me think of death instead of new life. Forethought and effort to plant perennials and gardens for a later benefit that isn’t always promised also makes me feel uneasy. All that effort and dormant beauty can and often does lead to a short and sometimes quick end too, as a good number of perennials only bloom for a week or two before they disappear again.
Nonetheless, during that walk a few weeks ago, I was able to fully relish the unexpected joy of springtime with my husband and dog, and all its awe-inducing beauty and resilience. I understand this may seem cliché to others who are able to take springtime and its delights of rebirth and warmth for granted, which I hope is most people. But I’ll never forget it because it was a different and welcome experience for me. No, I’ll never forget how happy and joyful it made me to notice new and vibrant life sprouting everywhere around me and where I live, especially within the midst of dormant existence and death.
And I only grew to appreciate that walk even more when we visited the Denver Botanic Gardens a few weeks later to see their recently sprouted perennials and springtime plants, which were unusually sparse and forlorn thanks to a surprise tulip fungus and recent spell of winter weather. Which also made me marvel at how unexpected nature can be, even and especially when we try to contain it, just like us.
I’ve learned to cultivate gratitude and joy in my daily life thanks to my Nichiren Buddhist practice. Yet I still need to remind myself to savor unexpected joy when it arises because it’s not as common as purposeful, diligent joy, even though it tends to leave a more indelible mark on my entire day and psyche, like that ordinary yet extraordinary walk did for me.
I typically find it much easier to enjoy unexpected gifts I actually want, even if I didn’t know I wanted them, than perfunctory gifts or niceties I may not even want, in other words. But isn’t that true for all of us to a certain extent?
I’ve found that the older I get, the easier it is to diligently remember what I’m already grateful for than it is to open myself up to unexpected joy in everyday experiences, especially during springtime. Perhaps this is because I allow myself to get too bogged down in the day-to-day minutiae of planned goals and responsibilities. Perhaps it’s because, on some subconscious level, I know that opening myself up to joyful experiences requires me to simultaneously open myself up to much less joyful experiences too, like what I experienced during that walk. Or maybe it’s a combination of both those things? Either way, it’s not as easy to recognize and feel unexpected joy these days, so I am beyond grateful when I get the opportunity to do just that. And I’m hoping springtime next year will bring me another bout of unexpected joy too.
I might revise, edit, or add to this draft in the future. Stay tuned!
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© This work is not available for artificial intelligence (AI) training. All Rights Reserved by K.E. Creighton; Creighton’s Compositions LLC.
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