Everything, All at Once
March 24, 2024
Every day now I see signs of a new world appearing. A world that has been growing, unseen, for months. A world that has been somewhere else and is returning now or passing through. Some seasons move slowly but spring is always in a hurry. Spring has an instance about it, like someone said “go” and everything, everywhere is off to the races.
The colors I see now have gone from brown and gray to green, purple, red and orange. The bluebell patch is alive with leaves coming up from the ground. The tiny patch of trout lilies I found last year has leaves poking up as well. The trout lily patch is quite a way in on the trail, so I walk it every day I can and hope I won’t miss the bloom.
Redbud trees have tiny buds that look like roses in miniature. Out across the fields, I see large swaths of purple. I’m not sure if it’s clover or something else, but the purple is like visual music for my eyes.
I heard a loon call at sunrise for the first time this year. One loon, nearly in his full breeding plumage, has been patrolling the outer edges of the marina. As I was watching, and hoping he’d come closer, another loon flew in and landed.
The two loons went into what I first thought was a mating dance of some sort, complete with audible communication back and forth. Loons don’t breed here and I’ve often seen groups of loons traveling together, so I just assumed these two knew each other.
Then the banter got a little more aggressive and I realized this was not a mating dance, this was a territorial display. Apparently there was only room for one loon in this marina! One loon was run out of the marina and the other did a bit of a victory dance. He then proceeded to patrol the buoy line until I left.
The year-round birds are singing voraciously, claiming territories and building nests. I hear Carolina wrens and titmice almost everywhere I walk.
Occasionally another bird will appear, like this yellow-bellied sapsucker. This youngster hasn’t gotten his red head markings yet but he was busy just the same bouncing from tree to tree.
Mr. and Mrs. goose appear to have selected a nesting spot. I base this on the fact that I walked back that way and though they honked at me, they didn’t leave. I hope they don’t regret this choice. If it gets warm, humans will be more common at this location and if it rains a lot the water will rise. If they are successful, I hope I get to see the little goslings!
The coots are back in large groups, swimming in and out of the coves each morning. Silly coots who spook easily but generally don’t go too far and often swim back if I sit still.
Other spring ducks have started to appear. Blue-winged teals, green-winged teals, scaups, ring-necked ducks and horned grebes swim out in the middle of the lake and occasionally back in the coves. One morning I even found wigeons!
I find myself wanting to be everywhere, all at once. I want to sit by the cove and see if ducks will appear. I want to walk down the trail and find out of the trout lilies are blooming. I want to sit on the dock and see if the loon will swim in for close-ups. I want to walk where the trees are budding and see if any warblers have started to arrive. I want to see it all and not miss a thing.
Being everywhere, all at once is, of course, impossible. I’m glad I can’t transport from one place to the other even if I sometimes wish I could. Spring teases me into believing if I just hurry I can see more or I can see it all. Isn’t this the great illusion of our time?
Perhaps Spring is really inviting me to make a choice and then really live that choice. To be thoroughly present in the place I’ve chosen, paying close attention to all I can perceive. Perhaps Spring is really inviting me to let go of any ideas of “what might have been” and simply be with what is. Perhaps Spring is whispering, “let go of what might have been so you can really see what is.”
We never know what would have happened had we made a different choice. Spring is a great reminder to let it go. Many years ago the first poem that ever came to me in a dream was simply, “Just Choose”. Spring shows me what that line was all about.
Thank you for choosing to read this post today! May you find little moments of peace and joy wherever your choices may take you.
And everything is in love. The birds are in love. The grass is in love. The animals are in love. Love, love, love. And all I get from all the love washing over my world is hay fever from the loving grass. Ah, but love is always better than war, even if it causes hay fever.
Nothing better than to spend a spring morning with the dreaming poet. No wonder that the birds are singing and dancing!