WHAT SPRING BRINGS
Sunday, March 21, 2021- daily column #6704
Spring, inspirational – aspirational …
To get out more, do more, feeling renewed, living more cheerfully – looking for signs of growth when plants peek through soil near buildings where reflected afternoon sun wakes life from soil.
Evident, palpable inspiration, spring’s arrival encourages – leaving behind winter’s cold hibernating made worse by virus-avoidance measures. Euphoric feelings, and seeing that in others – closest I can imagine to that first day a prisoner gets released from jail, not knowing what to do next but feeling much elation.
Early days still – spring feelings, spring air, spring marches on …
Equilibrium in politics, financial markets, supply-chains, and the tug between idealism and reality will continue to be a choppy-waters reality for many years, perhaps decades. New technologies and pop-culture trends will weave a bizarre future we cannot comprehend. Think about it, TikTok, Blockchain, Bitcoin, going to Mars, lithium mines pock-marking the planet – will all soon be yesterday’s news. They’ll become bygones, replaced by the next new things.
True, our post-pandemic lifestyle will be spring-like, fresh and aspirational.
But reality always intervenes.
Less than our concern for the next-pandemic, we see a revival of so many isms – fascism, racism, intolerance and judgement, bullies in high office, and evil motives ascribed to Russian and Chinese leaders overshadowing the decent humanity of Russian and Chinese citizens. Like the unified and frightened citizens of all countries, we want to be well, our children to be well, and our grandchildren to thrive without being psychologically messed-up by this pandemic time.
But there is more to this if we see it beyond our own lives – look beyond the 100 miles in which we live; we are not pawns on a global chessboard; countries are. Local politics and wants/needs of ordinary citizens are, in the grand scheme and the fullness of time, as significant as the collective lint in all those billionaires’ pockets.
So what can we do?
What can anyone do?
Everyone can do their art, perform their talent – just as writers write, painters paint, and sculptors play with clay. Shoemakers, stick to your last. Carpenters, please build strong structures that last. Lawyers, please craft unbreakable yet flexible contracts. Accountants, grab your pencils, work out our problems with sense as well as cents in mind. Teachers, teach your best, facilitate rather than dictate – inspire learning. And engineers. You can always tell the engineers in a room, but you can’t tell them much. Apologies to engineer friends, but you must admit that, while we owe so much praise for our brilliant society, you are all a little bit weird.
Seriously, look at crucial transformative events in history – examine the root cause or pivotal event in exception achievements in science or society, to break new ground, or solve big problems – rarely has it been the singular action or words of some momentarily exalted leader, magnate, or philanthropist – nor has it been great writers of manifestos, philosophers, or head-doctors.
It has been the dogged folk who tried one more experiment, built one more prototype, wrote one more letter to yet another publisher, who marveled at something that didn’t turn out as planned with “that’s interesting,” because these are people who cured diseases, developed the sticky-note, started movements, developed Viagra, or stopped evil in its tracks. The inventors of sticky-notes, Velcro, Viagra, or ‘the vaccines that are saving us now’ are not media pontificators – just good people who didn’t give up easily …
All great things are serious. Some are funny too. Our world would not be what it is without exploring outer space and deep in the earth, plumbing the depth of cells, DNA/RNA, exploring the heart of humanity and the hearts of mankind, of feeling bumps of braille on a page or elevator button, of feeling the joy of discovery when a child learns how to do anything, or someone of any age turns a smile into laughter. Spring is magic, and magic is springtime …
Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
Spring is change.
Spring is new growth.
Spring is imagination.
Spring is life …
While feeling wholly unshackled from the pandemic’s cruel grip is still many months away, as we sprint to get everyone vaccinated, it feels pretty good right now to be alive, and with a vaccination appointment in hand, I am feeling pretty good …
Reader feedback:
18 years. Wow. That is quite the body of work. I am just past the 13 year mark -- thanks to your encouragement, I started my first blog, Recover Your Joy, on March 10, 2007. (a total of 1,677 posts on that space + 2,317 on Dare Boldly -- all inspired by one coffee date with you!) And here I am, still writing. Thank you for the inspiration, the constant encouragement and the sharing, LG, Calgary, AB
This gave me a big smile: “... and the world keeps spinning with much understanding of how things work and not enough understanding of how people do.” - Happy Spring Mark!, GB, Waukesha, WI
CONGRATULATIONS! Hopefully the journey in ‘figuring you out’ continues for many more years so that I continue to be inspired! Keep up the great work!, EM, Calgary, AB
Congratulations on 18 years of "Mark Musing"! That's a lot of persistence and musing....does that make you "aMUSED", LOL. Yesterday was also my son's birthday. He turned 16. We went out celebrating. I hope that you found a fun way to celebrate "Mark Musing" Here's to many more years of inspiring musings, Mark! Cheers, PW, Calgary, AB