Happy Spring?

It’s snowing here in the Missouri Ozarks and crazy cold for May 3rd. (And, yes, I can hear my friends up north sneering that this is nothing compared to the 10 inches of new snow they are slogging through!)

Spring Snow

The dogwood blossoms are drooping like wet toilet paper and the already heavy wisteria blooms are reaching for the ground. “It’s not normal!” people say – which makes me think about “normal.”

When I made my 90-day road trip following the Mississippi River from the headwaters to the Gulf, the River levels were described as “normal,” meaning they were neither in flood stage nor drought. The following spring, the River sprawled over so much surrounding land that it was deemed one of the worst floods of the last century. Nine months later the worst drought conditions in 50 years threatened to bring the entire barge industry to a standstill. Now, many of our River friends are again dealing with or bracing for floodwaters. The real definition of normal is constant change.

Heraclitus, a 5th century Greek philosopher, once said, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.” We humans can be a bit arrogant – we decide on parameters and expect Nature will stay within them. She smiles at us and goes her own way.

That’s something the River has to teach us that can ripple down to the really small things in life – like the fact that my plans for the weekend have changed. My husband is thrilled that it’s not window-washing weather – although it’s not really bike-riding weather either. By foiling our plans, we are offered a gift of humility and an opportunity to pick up our feet and go with the flow of life.

Anyone know of any good movies?