“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.”
―
I am ending this 100 day journey from winter to spring where I started, but with a new understanding of hope.
Hope exists in us, it is always around us, it is whispering to us. And if we sometimes pay attention we discover that like the increasing minutes of light… hope grows more hope!
Perhaps it is easier to be hopeful when your friends and loved ones are getting vaccinated. Truly, I did not realize what a weight I was holding waiting for the vaccination damn to break. Today more than 100 million American’s are either completely vaccinated or are on their way to being completely vaccinated. And while I am sure there are a plethora of idiots like Rand Paul… I will feel less stressed encountering the maskless. (and watching Dr. Fauci take down Mr. Paul just made my day!)
Perhaps it is easier to be hopeful when there is an hour and 37 minutes more daylight than there was on December 21st. But I really enjoyed the gradual changes that happened in the world around me… from a hushed, quiet winter to a spring full of exuberant birdsong! From snow covered ground to snowdrops blooming! From cold winter winds bringing snow to open windows welcoming the warming winds and spring rains!
Cicadas are the ones that can really teach us about patience and hope! (Also a fun fact…17 years ago there was no iPhone)
An invasion is coming. This spring, trillions of cicadas will emerge from the ground around us, announcing their arrival with a cacophony of sound & piles of molted skin. Brood X – which arrives every 17 years – should appear sometime in May #nature #wildlife ???? pic.twitter.com/FMtEAcgIf1
— National Mall NPS (@NationalMallNPS) March 17, 2021
Last thing… The New Yorker magazine tweeted this article written by one of my favorite authors, Paul Auster, this morning. He wrote it in 1995… and it is very much read-worthy!
“If nothing else, the years have taught me this: if there’s a pencil in your pocket, there’s a good chance that one day you’ll feel tempted to start using it.” Paul Auster reflects on experiences that shaped him as a person and a writer. #NewYorkerArchive https://t.co/fafYR1vzHY
— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) March 19, 2021
So on this last Friday of winter, I am less despairing and so much more hopeful…and maybe I have put a pencil in my pocket, just in case!
Have an amazing weekend everyone! See you all back here next week!
I’ve certainly enjoyed your HOPE posts Kat. But…I’m not looking forward to the cicada invasion!!! Yikes. Those creatures give me the creeps. I do remember my niece (when she was around 2) going around the yard picking up spent cicada shells and giving them to my Mom to put in the dinner salad. LOL
Yikes, the cicadas!! I really enjoyed that Paul Auster article – thanks!! Have a great weekend, Kat!
Those stories by Paul Auster were marvelous! I am grateful that I have had my 1st dose and hope our country can heal itself.
I really do not know how Rand Paul graduated from medical school, because he doesn’t seem to understand basic science. I would expect better from someone with some education, but perhaps that expectation has been drastically misplaced.
Yesterday was such a gloomy day that I am so happy to see the sun today. I checked on our flowers when I came back from my walk, and the hydrangeas are budding and the Bleeding Heart is even starting to sprout!
I’m usually a winter person and still am, but I am itching for spring to get here so I can be outside, eat outside and go for rambling walks in other places without bundling up.
I will admit, cicadas creep me out! MA is doing really well with vaccination numbers (over 14% have received both doses and almost 27% have received one), that gives me LOTS of hope. And Rand Paul is an ass.
Just have to thank you for the good laugh this last sentence gave me. If I were standing next to you and there was no COVID, I’d plant a kiss on your cheek for that one.
Receiving one shot of the vaccine does make it easier to hope, and seeing many others get it gives me even more hope. Now all I have to do is make sure Ryan gets vaccinated so I can visit and move him back! (I’ve thought about this so much I’m not even sure how I’ll react if/when it actually happens. You visiting your kids will do almost the same thing for me.)
P.S. Thanks for the Paul Auster article!
“Hope exists in us, it is always around us, it is whispering to us. And if we sometimes pay attention we discover that like the increasing minutes of light… hope grows more hope!”
Holy cow, did that ever get stuck in my throat, Kat. I can’t stop myself from coming back to it. They’re some of the most poignant lines I’ve read in a long time. Huzzah!