The rites of spring are very real. It is a season all about change, waking up, growing. It is my favorite.

This year though, this year spring seems to be something I’ve largely missed. Do you feel that way too? Spending so much time at home and feeling trepidation about wandering anywhere that isn’t essential mean the joy of watching time ebb out of winter and into the promise of the growing summer has not happened. It feels as though I’ve missed a whole important step of transition. It feels like now that we are emerging from this quarantine, there is pressure to just jump into the next season. But how much we would miss!

Taking time to gradually move onto the next phase is what we learn from the joy of spring. The little by little changes. The comfort that the world won’t be a riot of color tomorrow and jar our senses when we wake, but rather we will ease into it together and be able to linger over the winter past and reflect.

I very much feel this in my personal journey at the moment. My family has just completed a chapter and moved (literally) on to the next, but I need time to take stock of the last year before jumping headlong into the new. It feels like it’s time to practice my photography in a different way, but I don’t want to loose what I’ve already done, or not be true to who I am.

So let’s declare spring has just started late this year and take our time about it. Let’s be gentle with ourselves and everyone else. Let’s linger over the flowers, let’s take the good from the past months and keep it, let’s think about what we really want next.

May your spring be a beautiful comfort to you and your summer filled with joy.