Kites fly up
Helicopters spin down
Wind chimes ring
To signal spring
I spy a four leaf clover
The early bird got the worm
Picnics in the sunshine
Relaxed and warm
Buttercups give your chin a tickle
Do you see the glow?
Rain starts to sprinkle
Look for the rainbow
Clip a bunch of lilacs for the table vase
Egg hunting time…it’s a race!
Let’s go camping for spring break
Practice skipping stones across the lake
The school year is coming to an end
Field day…time to play!
Spring forward!
High school prom is in May
Decorations, corsages, anticipation
Can you believe what’s next?
Our high school graduation!
Blow the dandelion seeds into the wind
What is my wish?
For Father Time to go to bed
And let time stand still instead
Experiences
But Did You Live?
I catered an event last night that was out in the middle of Nowhere, NC. When I pulled in, the owner met me on his UTV, and told me to follow him through the hayfield to the backside of the venue, and that’s where I could park. Going in was no problem. After the event and a massive downpour, in the dark with no escort, I started to think twice about driving through a field. And in that moment, I thanked God for being so dumb in high school.
Where I grew up, we got pretty creative with our party spots in order to keep them out of the police spotlight. Woods, cornfields, creeks, sandpits, the quarry, mountain tops, the end of an airstrip… Been there, done that. We also had to be pretty adventurous to be willing to try to get there, mindful of all possible exits in case we had to flee in a pinch, and imaginative with our excuses of how that mud got all over the tires and that dent got in the fender. It actually takes a lot of brain power to be dumb.
Thinking back on all the risks I took, it’s a wonder I’m not dead. I get a kick out of that line from Hangover when Chow asks, “But did you die?” Sitting in that field last night, I was grateful for my near-death experiences. I’m a lot less dumb at my current age, but more importantly, I know I can say “yes” when asked, “But did you live?”
Nature Walks
We often had nature walks as a part of our learning experience in elementary school. We’d have a list of critters and plants to hunt for on these walks. 6th grade took it to the next level and we were assigned the Leaf Project. We had to find and identify a ton of different leaves, and put them in an album. It was a lot of work, but it nurtured my love for nature. Also in middle school, I helped to create the recycling team. We were responsible for getting recycling bins into every classroom, and then emptying them every week during homeroom. I’m still very conscious about recycling, reducing, and reusing materials, and not just because Earth Day is every day, but because waste not, want not.
I spend a lot of time outdoors for my job, so I’ll admit that, when my shift is over, I prefer to head inside to a cool, dark place. (FYI: North Carolina is hot.) However, I miss my nature walks. In celebration of Earth Day, I’m going to make a goal of going on two nature walks per month. I go on dog walks every day, but I’m actually going to go to a new trail, a new set of trees, and new body of water to admire and enjoy. And I will whisper two things to my surroundings: 1) thank you and 2) I’m sorry on behalf of of the humans who don’t know better or care more. As a student of kinesiology, I work with the understanding that, if we don’t take care of our bodies, we’ll have no place to live. The same goes for our beautiful, fragile planet.
On my nature walks, I vow to leave my phone in the car. I think Earth Day should have a subtitle: Look Around You Not at Your Phone Day. I also vow to leave the trail better than I find it. I hope more people do the same on Earth Day, and every day.
Juvenescent Junkets 