“Romance is the glamour which turns the dust…” Amanda Cross

Springtime makes you feel weightless…

Mesmerized by seductively warming temperatures, you scamper about in a pair of Bermuda shorts and tank top, yet the thermometer only reads 60.
Open wide the garage door and sweep winter’s dirt from cluttered floors. Drag out lawn chairs, which have hung sullenly from rafters for more than a season. Dust them off and sit a spell, watching cars, strollers and bicycles go by.

Crank open windows, inviting breezes to flow through, welcoming sudden gentle rushes of soft, warm fresh air.

Old familiar voices fill the sky with an electrifying intensity, as robins, red-winged blackbirds and sparrows telegraph a new day.
Rows of black-capped chickadees form long lines on utility wires high above – males vocalize thin repetitive whistles, while females reply with musical songs.

The kitchen sounds off, too. Echoing through screened windows, sashes raised, dishes clap, pots and pans clang, cupboards pop open and slam shut, chairs scoot.

Springtime loosens you…

Liberated now, you push away lingering memories of a hard winter past, while every part of you merrily calls out.

From the front porch, you greet neighbors; from your vehicle, you happily honk, recognizing old friends.

Outdoors, it is no longer silent with hammering of rooftops, dribbling of basketballs, barking of dogs and creaking of swing sets. There’s giddy chatter over fences and chuckles from patios, too.

Springtime makes you feel young again…

Inhaling intoxicating fragrances of lilacs, irises, apple and cherry blossoms, you petition summer to make her entrance quickly.

Budding shelterbelts, hedges and tree stands progressively turn from muddy brown to vibrant green.

Rain pattering above amply teases nostalgia for a good storm. Yet, claps of thunder and flashes of lightning pose as strangers in your midst.

Springtime makes you feel playful…

Running barefoot through tall grass. Falling to your knees, triumphant over winter’s slumber, embracing its passage with a joyful heart, you render it non-existent for the time being.

Gratefully, you vow not to complain. Not one word, dare you utter, of what this turning season foreshadows – mosquitoes, crickets, spiders, humidity, flooding, mildew, heat and more heat. Shush now.

You hail this time of the year with new wonder, marveling over how frozenness thawed into lush emeralds, vibrant reds and splendorous purples. Once solid, waves push over shorelines, while sunlight stretches long into evening.

Instilling a refreshed spirit, a sense of newness sends you gliding beyond yesterday and into tomorrow. You love springtime; it loves you back.

Springtime gives you permission…

You plan and hope again; because of springtime, you have promise.

2011 © Copyright Paula Damon. A resident of Southeast South Dakota, Paula Bosco Damon is a national award-winning columnist. Her writing has won first-place in competitions of the National Federation of Press Women, South Dakota Press Women and Iowa Press Women. In the 2009, 2010 and 2011 South Dakota Press Women Communications Contest, her columns received eight first-place awards. To contact Paula, email boscodamonpaula@gmail, follow her blog at my-story-your-story.blogspot.com and find her on FaceBook.