Spring has arrived and it is glorious to see. I believe that no other season brings with it such joy. It is our reward for surviving the long months of winter and Mother Nature is generous in the color and vibrancy that we get to see as the world awakens from its winter slumber.
When I was in seventh grade, I wrote a poem about spring and every year the words come to me as I witness the renewal of the trees and plants:
Spring is here, it’s here!
We never thought it would come.
January was freezing cold,
February wasn’t much better.
It seems so long since I’ve seen green,
But, oh joy,
It’s Spring!
Seeing this rebirth of the landscape brings me hope. It is wonderful to get outside and start working in my yard to prepare it for another year. Gathering up the dead leaves and other debris and finding growing things underneath is a great lesson in never giving up; we may feel like everything is pressing down on us, but we can keep going even in difficult circumstances.
We often hear the phrase “spring cleaning” this time of year. Let it be said that we should not save all of our cleaning for the spring, however it’s good to tackle some projects that have been put aside. Having this burst of excitement in us with this change in the weather will help to propel us to get tasks completed that have been neglected far too long.
Before you think that I am admonishing you to clean your entire house or garage in one day and stop reading, I think that would be ridiculous! Too often we think that we should do such things and give ourselves unattainable goals which results in nothing getting done. What is the benefit of that?
I choose to break up large projects into small tasks. Long ago I heard a great motto: “By the yard it’s hard, but by the inch it’s a cinch!” There is a wonderful poem by Shel Silverstein that addresses this very issue:
Melinda Mae
Have you heard of tiny Melinda Mae,
Who ate a monstrous whale?
She thought she could,
She said she would,
So she started in right at the tail.
And everyone said, “You’re much too small,”
But that didn’t bother Melinda at all,
She took little bites and she chewed very slow,
Just like a little girl should…
…and eighty-nine years later she ate that whale
Because she said she would!!!
So, look around your house or garage or work place or yard and select ONE small area that you could work on and that you know if it was cleaner or more organized you would feel much better. Set aside some time to assess what needs to be done. You may even find that you’ll be breaking down this small project into several smaller tasks.
Put on some good music or a podcast that you’ve wanted to listen to and start working on your chosen job. You’ll be amazed at what can be accomplished in just 30 minutes and how much better you’ll feel having this chosen area worked on. Sure, it could be that everything else around you is still a disaster, but you will have a sense of accomplishment and pride that you have taken care of this. Large projects, as Melinda Mae found out, can only be completed one bite at a time.
When I was in high school my grandmother called my mother and said that we needed to come over to her house that night. It sounded really important, so we all loaded up in the car and drove across town to see what she needed. When we arrived she ushered us into her kitchen and with a dramatic flourish she announced that she had organized all of her drawers and she wanted us to see them. My parents were a little put off that she had urged us to come over right away for something so simple, but I thought it was great.
We all walked around the kitchen and admired Grandma Patterson’s neatly organized drawers. We gave exaggerated “oohs” and “aahs” at each one, much to her delight. She served us cookies and milk and we headed home afterwards. My parents were a little befuddled, but I’ve always remembered the moment with a smile. Grandma had been frustrated that her drawers were a disaster and sat down that day to get them organized. Once they were done, she was so proud of them that she wanted someone else to come and see the difference and rejoice with her. She taught me to be proud of seemingly small achievements.
Look around you and enjoy the incredible beauty of spring. Feel that rejuvenation and hope that it brings. And then look deeper and find something that you’ve put off for a while and take care of it. No matter the project, you will feel joy and a great sense of accomplishment in having this task done. Just remember to approach it one bite at a time.