No Better Friend

Think of the charismatic friend that you haven’t heard from in almost a year. She’s the impulsive one known for her mood swings. She arrives unannounced, scolding you for moping around the house in your wool socks. She insists you drag the chairs out of the garage and light the grill. You mix boat drinks. A flock of robins stops by. Birdsong and flights of honking geese play as a soundtrack. A warm south wind carries off the winter dust and the sun glows. You haven’t felt this giddy since sometime in December.  

She calls herself Spring but refuses to be a stereotype. She’s temperamental. She throws stormy tantrums that can rip shingles off a house. She gets weepy for days on end sending all the creeks over their banks. A day after your reunion, she gives you the cold shoulder. Snow falls on your tulips and you scramble to protect your bleeding hearts from a hard freeze. An arctic front chases you back into the house. The furnace growls. You knew Spring was unpredictable, but she dazzled you…as always. 

A week later contrite Spring returns to your door in emerald-green velvet holding bunches of daffodils prepared to paint your sky cerulean blue. You forgive. She’s invited a few others, the ground hog, the chipmunks, and the redwing black birds. The temperature trends upward. Fresh-cut grass perfumes the air. Unlike Winter, Spring never overstays. Before she leaves, she makes sure the goslings hatch, the trillium blooms, and the orioles build their nests. She loathes goodbyes, so she’ll leave without warning, heading to regions north. 

Suddenly, you’re under the stifling glare of Summer, complaining about the heat, missing Spring’s cool nights. Within six months a cold-hearted Winter will move in for an extended residency. By then you will have forgotten Spring’s faults. You will long for the scent of lilacs and the sight of swans drifting on the water. In your memory every Spring day shimmered lush, green and brilliant blue. 

You will find no better friend than Spring. She dispels the gloom, enlivens the days, and draws you into the sunshine.