So many of us think of this area as only a summer resort. And it is true that that this place is a destination station, a welcome escape and relief from those hot summer days, a region filled with cool ocean breezes. But other months bring out the beauty of all that encompasses this welcome land.
Spring, which is just a couple weeks away, can be a time of transition. It can give you a respite in a way that evokes a certain beauty that may revitalize a stagnant mind-set. Mother Nature will let the spring bring trees budding with new sprouts of tiny green and red peeking through the bland wood. The trees will speak to you, “Come, walk with me and I will show you what will become in the months ahead, colors of delicate pink and china white. I will brush the limbs with lilac and fire-engine orange. Soon I will give you dappled shade from the heat. Leave your worries, your cares at home and walk with me early in the spring. Be strong and lean on my strength. Look around and take a deep breath with me. I will always be here as a sign of hope and a simple future.”
We have marshes in our area that spread over land we think as just there, not usable, taking up space. But in the spring, Mother Nature brings the marsh into plain sight. It speaks to you, “Come, live with me and I will show you egrets, waterfowl, birds and tiny creatures you cannot name. Soon I will turn a magenta hue when the sun is high in the sky and a golden yellow as the sun sets into the evening. Come, take my hand and help me stay alive and healthy. For I will give you rest from your heavy burdens. There are no worries when you look out over my vast expanse. There is only beauty and solitude. Stay with it. Breathe it in. Reflect upon your life and values, for I will make you stronger.”
In the spring, the beach grasses are pushing up, just beginning to stir out from under their winter coats. Mother Nature lets them yawn and stretch until they grow tall enough to whisper with the wind. If you let them, they will speak to you, “Come, lay down beside me on those dark nights and look up at the ink-blue sky. Take my hand and I will show you a carpet of bright stars, twinkling and ever moving. You will be like children in a fairy tale riding a wooden shoe through the night and catching those stars in a fishing net. The moon will lead the way. There are no problems without solutions here. The sky always has hope, even if it is fleeting. Take my hand; I will embrace you and lend you endurance, if only you will notice me.”
And then there is the tease of the ocean that has been here all along. But in the spring, Mother Nature reminds us to go down to the water, early, so we can hear the gentle noise of the basic being of the planet. If you let it, the ocean will beg, “Come, walk beside me. Feel the sand beneath your feet. Look at all the tiny shells I’ve pushed out so you can bend down and wonder at something beyond your understanding. Keep walking with me and you will tell me your troubles. Let them stay at my feet until I swallow them up in my arms.”
Yes, the spring can bring weather that lashes the land. There are always missteps along the way. Without these we would not know the difference. But also, Mother Nature shows us the alternative. And aren’t we fortunate to live in a state called Delaware where refuge is right at our fingertips? So, look around, for the calendar tells us spring is very near.
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Nancy Katz has a degree in creative writing and is the author of the book, "Notes from the Beach." She has written the column Around Town for the Cape Gazette for twenty years. Her style is satirical and deals with all aspects of living in a resort area on Delmarva.
