When I noticed the white, yellow, and purple crocuses blooming among the drab ground
and leaf letter, I was quite surprised. I knew it would be coming soon, but I was still taken
back a bit and delighted to see them there. So, taking it as my signal, I quickly went out and
sprayed my milk/water combination to keep the deer away from my tulips breaking ground
and my forsythia bush starting to swell. There is quite a herd that visits in the mornings and evenings. And
now, even when the morning isn’t bright, the birds sing when dawn breaks, and even continue their calling
after dark. I haven’t heard the peepers yet, but there have been a few bullfrogs letting me know they are up and
about. The ducks, too, seem to be scoping out their nest areas along the swollen Lincoln Lake.
To me this shows that life goes on. We sometimes get fixated in our time and place with our concerns and
preoccupations, but in the end, they will pass. If we take the time to observe the changing of the season,
nothing will more clearly remind us of that. Our word “nature,” has two meanings, that which we find out in
the woods, and also the basic inherent feature of things. By taking note of how winter turns to spring, we
understand how these two meanings are actually the same thing. The inherent nature of existence is that things
change, and nature gives us a very clear indication of how quickly and miraculously that can come about. One
day there are no crocuses—the next day there are.

In the events of distancing and quarantine, nature and the nature of things are reminding us to slow down, take
a look, and reconsider our positions and priorities. Maybe, as the earth wobbles and tilts, we’re feeling a bit off
balance and unsure of our steps. In these times we need to remember that winter will pass, and there will be
crocuses and singing birds. If you are able, be sure to try and witness this change first hand.
Henry David Thoreau writes: “You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity
in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other
land; there is no other life but this, or the like of this. I wish to live ever as to derive my satisfactions and
inspirations from the commonest events, everyday phenomena, so that what my senses hourly perceive, my
daily walk, the conversation of my neighbors, may inspire me, and I may dream of no heaven but that which
lies about me.” Enjoy the crocuses.