Thinking about spring has a bit of a different result nowadays.
Of course, there’s the obvious trait of more sunshine, which will fight off the good ol’ seasonal depression I’ve spoken about in my previous season-reflection blogs. Though daylight savings was certainly painful for my sleep schedule, the more hours of sun is a hopeful sign my fatigue and mental darkness will soon ease.
But another usual trait of springtime is a slow return to warm weather and an abundance of life. And nearing ninety degrees in February certainly doesn’t seem like a slow return, to say the least.
Being an environmental student, I can go on and on about climate change and the impacts on the environment around us, but that’s not the point here. Today, I want to focus more on my relationship to spring and how it could change going forward, both due to global changes and personal ones.
With the global changes in climate we’ve been seeing, spring may become nearly the same as winter to me. Of course cold days will still remain, but what if I am able to comfortably take walks all year round still? One of the worst parts of winter for me is the inability to go outside recreationally, which leads to hours of pacing in my small apartment. But, with a warming climate, the cabin fever of winter may be lessened with near-daily walks throughout the season.
There will be darkness, but if warmth returns much more often, the darkness may become more bearable as I’m able to spend more time out in the light.
But there’s another aspect to my very different experience with spring this year: simply, I moved. I grew up in the chilly Northeast, where spring would still be fighting to arrive in mid-April most years. For college, though, I’m in the South, where warmer weather will always arrive slightly earlier.
And a little over a year from now, I’ll be graduating college, which may mean another move.
Will I stay where spring arrives early, or will I head for colder and longer winters up north from where I am? I likely won’t have the luxury to choose where I live based on the weather; instead, it’ll be about where I can get a job. So, my world may become even warmer or a bit colder a few springs from now, though I can’t predict which it’ll be yet.
Overall, though, it may be years to see if any of these changes will change my creative processes. Surprisingly, I was able to finish a first draft already this year, though I don’t know if it was a change in routine or the environment that caused the speed. Next spring I will be working on a capstone project, which will alter my routine further.
While I used to think the seasons would dictate my ability to create, maybe that is not quite the case anymore. Maybe I’ve grown past that as a writer, where the urge to craft my worlds is too strong to be stopped by most natural forces, and where I’ll continue to be a creative no matter the weather.
Spring will still change, though. Hopefully it doesn’t change to kill me with allergies, which may be able to stop me a little bit easier than the weather can.
コメント