Spring Awakening a.k.a. How I Became a Zoloft Ad
Seems I'm not the only one being ridiculous this spring.
I awake from a dream in which Pat Sajak is the bathroom attendant at a house party. He is just about to hand me a towel as I say, “This is really nice soap, Pat.” Today is going to be a great day.
Over the past few weeks my mood has been noticeably elevated. I rise in the morning, pulling back the curtains to see little green buds forming on the trees outside my window. I make my tea listening not to the grating voices of morning show anchors or crosstown buses hauling down the block, but real, live birds chirping outside. I prepare to leave putting on one sensible layer, not fifteen. It is spring in New York City and I could cry I’m so happy.
Like the star of a Zoloft commercial, I might as well be skipping down the sidewalk in a brightly colored trench coat with a basket of daisies I’m so excited about spring. Okay, I would never wear a brightly colored trench, but the feeling of warm exuberance this seasonal weather change has brought on is unlike that of recent years. Perhaps I am on something, or perhaps my ridiculousness has finally seeped into my brain, but this year feels different. It feels… good.
Every year, I greet spring like an old friend who makes you remember the good times and encourages you to perk up (“You’re right, Edna, I guess I do look a little pale.”). Blooming trees, the glorious sunlight, warmer temperatures and seemingly non-threatening bird families are met with a bear hug and a slight tear as I shrug off the dark winter months where we ate nothing but animal tendons and bone broth, wrapping ourselves in hides and taking bets on which frozen digits would be sacrificed first.
Wait, that’s from another dream—a tundra-themed nightmare I had after being forced to watch a Life Below Zero marathon by someone I call a loved one.
Truth be told, it was a mild winter in the Northeast compared to the past few years. We can both thank and be horrified by the effects of global warming in equal measure. This winter never quite got to the desperate, bone-chilling weeks on end we citizens of NYC have come to anticipate and, save for one good, old-fashioned blizzard barreling down on the city, it was never really in our way. Filthy, black slush, I hardly missed you.
And just like that, the twenty and thirty degree temperatures of the winter months moved on to March’s downright livable mid-fifties and began throwing some serious game our way by spiking to the high-sixties just enough to show us that the light at the end of the tunnel would be a magnificent one. I immediately began using my SPF 30 moisturizer.
Attitudes began changing, taking on an air of positive openness. “Oh, is this the line? No worries, you go ahead of me.” Don’t mind if I do. Now who’s on something? Yes, the upbeat, borderline joyful feeling that has filled our fair city like the pollen in our nasal membranes these last few weeks holds within its heart the very spirit of the season. Spring signifies rebirth, renewal, the ultimate fresh start—nature’s first giant step towards rejuvenation in its yearly lifecycle.
Widely recognized seasonal symbols like eggs, primarily associated with the Easter holiday, in fact trace their origins to Persia and ancient Egypt where they were exchanged as tokens of fertility and new life ahead of the spring harvest. The Druids took it a step further, burying eggs in the field to up their chances of a plentiful bounty. Isn’t it just like the Druids to take it literally?
Taking a cue from nature, rebirth appears to be what we humans are all about this season as well. People are out in droves. They’ve got their faces pointing towards the sun and, unlike prior years, they’re wearing practical spring transitional clothing. Spring’s cultural offerings have descended upon us. There is talk of new projects and new ideas. Spring fashion is fresh, floral and funky (take note, Zoloft commercial wardrobe lady). The culinary world is beside itself with spring groupies like kumquats, ramps and morels popping up on menus all over town. Efforts are being made to solidify summer plans as we look towards permanent sunny skies—wait, did someone just say summer?
Perhaps nothing about spring pulls at the heartstrings more than the promise it holds in its blossoming little hands: the promise of summer. When spring first begins to knock on our doors, we feel a little flutter in our bellies. Then, as spring announces it is back with a vengeance, we once again feel the flutter, but this time we allow ourselves to absorb it, to take it to the next level. We allow ourselves to fully realize that summer is coming. Summer, you beautiful, sparkling, coconut-scented queen of all that is right in the world.
And if that’s not enough to lighten our moods then the Zoloft isn’t working.
But, spring is too splendid of a season to be passed over for the thought of a day at the beach and a killer tan. Spring is nature’s most beautiful season (sorry, fall junkies), the season in which it presents humanity with gifts we could never produce on our own. If you blinked, you still couldn’t miss spring, shouting from the rooftops that she is here, continually reminding us to stop and look around. In this way, spring is very wise, for we humans are definitely in need of a few months of rebirth to prepare for the spoils of summer. There is work to be done, a winter of crankiness to shake off and I’m guessing you’re not quite bikini ready yet.
So let’s all take some inspiration from spring. Get on the bandwagon and embrace the optimism of the season. Take time to pause and observe the beauty of what surrounds you. Bury some eggs like the Druids. Absorb the positive vibes your fellow citizens are putting out. It may feel a bit ridiculous at first, but you’ve been ridiculous before. Come October, those feel-good vibes will pack up their summer separates for the long winter sojourn and you will sorely miss them as you are unpacking your hides.
Oh, and Pat wanted me to remind everyone that sandal season will soon be upon us. Do your part and get a pedicure. Together, we can change the world.
