On the Threshold of Spring…
“On the threshold of spring, we begin to notice a quiet awakening within. If winter was a season of silence, invite the birds of spring to bring song back into your life. Observe the stagnant places revealed by winter’s hibernation and let them go.”
Winter is long, wet and dark where I live. My darkest periods of depression have always fallen in the dead of winter. Accordingly, an undercurrent of dread begins to flow in the fall, creating tension, anxiety and sadness as I grieve the loss of summer and ponder the stretch of stillness ahead of me.
The Stagnant Places Revealed.
December brought grief and fear. I was faced with the raw pain stirred up from my mother’s absence, the reality that I would never spend another holiday season with her hit hard. The hole in my heart felt like a chasm, creating a gravity of sorrow that pulled me away from the present moment. I experienced guilt that I was sometimes unable to experience and express gratitude for the connections that I have with loved ones. Grief can be pervasive and tricky as it bubbles up in ways which can be hard to recognize. For me, it often manifests as anxiety, rumination, insomnia and irritability, stirring up conflict and drama.
Letting Go.
Looking at these struggles in hindsight, I accept myself, the process and the experiences. I take a full, deep inhale, hold….. exhale…. let go.
On the Threshold.
Alas, here we are on the threshold of spring! This last week, waking up with the morning light streaming through the windows and the return of the morning bird song, I can feel the seed of potential deep within myself. I’m ready to crack out my protective shell, let the first rays of light in, taste the sweet crisp spring air, inhale deeply and expand into a new season of growth.
The Columbia River Valley’s Harbingers of Spring
I live in an inland temperate rainforest in the Columbia River Valley, where the average annual snowfall is close to 20 feet (you did not misread that)! I spend a lot of time outside and when I’m not shovelling or snowboarding, I like to explore riparian zones (wetlands and swamps). The Columbia River valley is an absolutely magical place in the springtime, and much of the magic happens in these zones. As we swap snowfall for rainfall and the snow begins to melt, the forest wakes up from its winter slumber and the animation begins.
Western Skunk Cabbage are one of my favourite signs that spring is here! Their giant yellow lily-type blooms are the first thing to push through the frozen ground, ice and slush, and reach up towards the forest canopies. Last year, after observing how these blooms could push through inches of snow and solid ice, I did some research to find out why they were able to make such an early appearance.
Like a heated driveway in the swamp, these ancient plants create their own heat, which allows the blooms to melt surrounding snow and ice, and break right on through (to the otherside)! Not impressed yet? Symplocarpus foetidus are believed to have evolved to their near-current state during the Cretaceous period, predating humans by millions of years. As individual specimens, they’re so deeply anchored by their rhizomes they can live for decades or possibly even centuries (Nancy Lawson). You can use the leaves for cooking/storing foods, similar to banana leaves. I tried it out last summer with a freshly caught bull trout and the results were delicious. In a survival situation, the leaves would make an excellent water-proof material for shelter-building.
Painted Turtles are another one of my favourite signs that spring is springing in the Columbia River Valley! These little miracles survive winter in a frozen state. When the spring thaw begins, they re-animate and go on with their business. Check out this incredible video showing this beautiful process:
For some of us, winter is a long liminal season. The first signs of spring bring relief and hope. Like the harbingers of spring in the Columbia River Valley, we all have an animated potential inside of us, even when it is frozen in a latent state. Take in the signs of change, flow and progress all around you, welcome the change of season not only in nature, but in your heart.
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