Madeleine May Kunin is a former Democratic governor of Vermont. She is the author of “Coming of Age, My Journey to the Eighties.”
The beginning of March is too early to dream of spring, especially in Vermont, where snowstorms can descend on any day of the month, without warning. But this year, the very thought of spring makes me happy.
The anticipation of spring in this Covid year of 2021 lets me visualize yellow forsythia bursting free against a clear blue sky. Think of it. Along with the first crocus, I will be able to enjoy the first outdoor restaurant meal. I am warned not to expect too much from this new post-pandemic freedom. Keep wearing masks. OK, I understand.
As the temperature rises, I rise to the occasion by having coffee with a friend I haven’t seen in person for almost a year, or having dinner with my family. Spring means freedom.
Freedom of movement brings freedom of the imagination. I think I could visit a museum, or see a movie in a real movie theater. The thought makes me slightly dizzy.
There is a whole world out there that I haven’t visited. For a year. I only looked at it from a six-foot or more distance. Won’t it be great when I will be able to taste new tastes and smell the intoxicating perfumes of spring?
I already look forward to being outside without layering myself with all sorts of clothing. I won’t have to hop from one foot to the other to keep my toes from feeling like ice cubes. I am ready to toss my wooly mittens and handknit hat into a dark bin.
Now I will sit on a rock, lean back and absorb the thin, but strong, strands of sunlight. The sun is promising even more warmth. It won’t disappoint. My cheeks will become rosy, not from cold March, but from the new warmth of May.
This year, everybody is talking about how the days are getting longer. I don’t remember having had these lengthy conversations last year. This March, I pay close attention to the remarkable staying power of daylight.
March is not too early to dream of spring, to be released from this merciless winter, which took so many lives. Once again, nature’s cycle repeats itself. The earth turns. I allow myself to savor the meaning of rebirth as I take a deep breath and slowly exhale.
