Often at this point in the year I am torn between making use of the last few days of winter snow and the pull of sunshine and warmth in some far off place. I am craving an end to the things that make winter painful, such as endless shoveling and the difficulty of going outside with a newborn. This year in particular has been so brutal that I finally caved and bought an electric snow blower.
But as I dream of warm boat-filled days on the Mediterranean in June, I am also a little sad about the end of my favorite season. The chance to ski is coming to an end, being able to cozy up in a cabin, the smell of a wood stove burning to keep me warm is fading. The things that I didn’t do this winter are haunting me, yet I am dazzled in my mind to think about all of the places I could go to escape the next snow storm (I live in Minnesota, so I am fully aware winter is not over quite yet, unlike many places).
To me this transition between winter and summer becomes a mood. It is almost its own aesthetic - cozy winter cabin mixed with the intrigue of a trip to our southern neighbors, escapism at its finest. Spring break is in full force after all and much possibility is floating around in the air.
Part of me wants to take a ski trip to snowy mountains, the Colorado Rockies maybe, or daydreaming even bigger - splurge on a trip to the Swiss Alps. Another part of me admires the appeal of Mexico, the beaches and rainforests of the Yucatan or the mountainous arid steppes of the central valley. The dreaming continues and before I realize it I am in Oaxaca eating freshly made tortillas at an outdoor market.
I am getting lost in these daydreams.
Attempting to bring myself back to reality, I am determined to not simply daydream during this season, but instead focus this energy in a productive way. I am not up for traveling anywhere at the moment though (*new baby), so my next best option will be to focus on my home environment. What are the rituals and objects that I interact with each day during this transition that can inspire me?
The weather is still cool, though getting better. I can’t fully indulge in the pleasures that summer has to offer yet, but I can observe some of the changes to the environment. Winter is losing its grip more and more. Sunshine feels ten percent warmer, there’s a damp smell outside that lingers as the snowbanks recede. There is even a reflection on the surface of the snow that wasn’t there a month ago.
The typical visuals of spring we see in what gets marketed this time of year aren’t really my vibe - the pastels, the bulb flowers, woodland critters, etc. I am looking for another way to experience the end of winter, yet also look towards much warmer and longer days ahead.
I am realizing that spring is an underrated season. I used to hate it. Spring comes with mud and the landscape is some of the worst shades of brown that really don’t inspire the senses. The season doesn’t have the hygge or coziness that fall and winter have. It lacks the visuals of the end of year holidays. Truly it is seen more as an anticipation of the months we’re all waiting for - summer.
But what if I look at spring differently? As I said before, this season is a transition. Just as fall is a celebrated transitional time of year, spring must also have its own moments that make it special and satisfying. I wonder what aesthetic experiences and new rituals can be brought into these months.
Early Spring Aesthetic:
Wake up to light that feels brighter than the previous morning
Sit by a window to read, eventually sit outside, temperatures pending
Eat a bowl of muesli. This cold breakfast isn’t suited for winter, but the days are warming
Harness anticipation that’s in the air, channel it to work on things procrastinate on all winter
Crack a window to hear the birds returning
Go out for a walk
Get in a last day of skiing, downhill or cross country
Come home to warm up with a coffee sweetened with maple syrup
Spend the late afternoon cooking Icelandic lamb soup, use up whatever vegetables are still left in season
Turn on some piano heavy jazz, something more upbeat
Light a fire in the wood stove, if one is available
Sip an amaro and tonic in a double old fashioned glass - Montenegro amaro to dream of summers in Italy
The night is still cold so keep on the flannel sheets
The grass and the leaves won’t come to Minnesota until the end of April (if the temperatures stay warm). There are still many weeks yet of this transition. I am thankful for the newfound thoughtfulness I’ve discovered. I anticipate that there are more rituals to unearth the more the snow recedes. Spring just might become a season I don’t simply daydream through.
