Every year around 2/20, i feel like something's about to chance. It's still only about 3°c outside and most years there would even be frost flowers on my bedroom window in the mornings.
But as soon as you walk outside, you can sense in the air that something's different. There's only little puddles of snow left and the salt on the sidewalks is so dry, you hear cracking noises under your boots with every step. The sun might still not show itself on a regular, but it already smells like crocuses and lilies of the valley, pushing their way through earth's crust.
But most importantly, your wake up routine is escorted by the sounds of bird's chirping in the morning again, still a bit shy, regarding the long winter break when they couldn't sing to their regular audience. Yet so beautiful, especially after winter took all those cheerful noises away for the last months.
On february 20, as a child i would run into the kitchen as soon as i woke up, hug my mum, and tell her it's "my spring" again. My personal sign of life from nature, a month before anyone else would embrace those feelings of hope and regeneration.
You're all welcome to celebrate "my spring" with me, take a look outside your windows with a warming cup of coffee in your hands, and find that the clouds won't be able to keep the sun locked away much longer.
(Photo by Leni Papilio)