It's a gray day outside my window, gray and brown just like it's been since the snow started to melt. "Started" is the operative word here; up on the hilltop where we live, there's still plenty of snow about, particularly in the shaded areas. And, according to the weatherfolks on TV, there's more to come tomorrow: six to twelve inches of the white stuff.
So why do I feel so light and hopeful, on this vernal equinox? Is it because I feel somehow balanced, on this day when light and dark are equally shared out between day and night? That probably has a good bit to do with it, since I'm not great friends with the dark of winter.
But there's more to it than that. Even without the first peek of crocuses or the new-green of spring buds and shoots, I know that winter is on its last lap. Snow tomorrow be darned, it is SPRING again - and pretty soon that will mean warmer temperatures to go with the longer days, and afternoon trips to the dog park with Ariel, and walks and bike rides with the family. The semi-voluntary confinement of winter will let us all loose on probation again, to stretch ourselves out to the sunshine and the smell of fresh grass.
It's funny how an arbitrary label on a date can affect one's mood for the better. Would most of us really notice the equinox, if it wasn't also called the first day of spring? The equinox is set; the planet tilts and light pulses from our nearest star, resulting in twelve hours of light and twelve of dark. We call it the first day of spring, this vernal equinox, though in many locations there won't be much spring weather or flora to be had for some time yet. But the very word "spring" is a mood enhancer, bringing to mind all manner of good things, from flowers and puffy white clouds to baby animals and digging in the garden. Most seasons are two-faced, with things to love and hate about them in roughly equal measure, but spring seems to smile and brush off things like mud and lingering freezes and lets us welcome it with open arms.
Welcome, spring!