Spring can be particularly fickle here in Wisconsin, slow to arrive and reluctant to stay. So, we celebrate it all the more, often with startling enthusiasm.
“WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY,” we shout to one another as one warm breeze sweeps through town, coaxing the sun in its wake, and we dash from our houses with (now socially distant) glee.
We’re pale, we’re lonely, we’ve been cooped up in our houses forever and we’re anxious for some sun.
It can be tempting, then, to want to rush things along, pop open the buds and force out the lilacs.
But, like the good book says, seasons take time. We’ve learned that here. Force a flower to open too soon and you’ll probably kill the whole plant.
So, we bide our time, keep those now loathsome winter jackets handy and wait patiently for a lovely string of sunny days that lets us know we’ve made it through another long winter and it’s safe to venture out with our faces bare.
Dark days can be lonely and livelihoods often depend on summer’s arrival.
But, you can’t rush the seasons. You can’t force the buds.
Hang in there, Wisconsin.
Better days are ahead.
