Spring is probably my favourite time of year.
It’s a time when the days get longer, the sun comes out more and, more importantly, it’s a time for spring cleaning. I’m not talking about that one or two Saturdays you’re going to spend cleaning out the garage and putting all the winter related gear away, although that does happen.
What I’m talking about is more of a mental spring cleaning, than a physical one, although the two go hand in hand sometimes.
Like a lot of people, I tend to find a nice warm spot and stay there for the majority of the winter. I usually find a good book and pick a project I’ve been meaning to work on for a while now and just hammer away at it.
Things usually run pretty smoothly until mid-winter, when the lack of sunlight and venturing outside finally clouds things up to the point where I need the change that comes with spring.
Much like a bear lumbering its way out of its den in search of food, my tired and groggy mind needs a serious change of scenery to get things going again and, fortunately that is what spring is.
That little creative voice that had been (not so) politely telling me to go away and let it sleep suddenly bursts up and is ready to get back to work.
Even though I can’t really work much with so much as the curtains open — the outside world is far too interesting and distracting — I’m driven outside to explore the world a little while and take in the everything that is coming back to life.
Being out and surrounded by all the renewal is quite possibly one of the best ways to get things started again and, even though I tend to do some of my best work in the winter time, that work almost always gets finished in the spring — conveniently leaving me free to daydream my summer away in anticipation of the project.
If you’ve been experiencing the same thing lately, now is the time to shake off the cobwebs and let that spring renewal wash over you.
Get outside and take a walk. Change your colour palette from those darker winter colours to more vibrant spring ones.
Stop reading that heavy, but interesting, book about building churches and read something that you might read while you’re on vacation — and hey, if that happens to be that book about building churches, then you’re already on your way.
Do whatever it is you like to do when you’re recharging your batteries after a long winter’s nap and then sit back down and start creating.
Douglas Paton is a Summerland writer and musician. If you know of a local arts and culture event, contact him at dgpaton80@gmail.com.