Lusting for Spring and Cruel O' April

T.S. Eliot wrote: "April is the cruelest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain (The Waste Land [1922]. I, the Burial of the Dead)." I've often said that Eliot must not have experienced the Midwest in March, or in February or November for that matter... Plus there's the hot and humid Dog Days of August. Yet, I guess he had to make a judgement to write the verse...

Fewer than normal would argue that we have not just sustained one of the harsher winters of the last few decades throughout a large part of the U.S., if not world. But Spring has now arrived. In her "monkey see" NPR blog article, Linda Holmes writes, A friend of mine grumbled on Facebook recently about the phenomenon of people moaning in despair over April's weather. There's often a cold snap around this time, she pointed out. There's often unpleasant rain. There's often unpredictability (http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2014/04/16/303724227/lusting-for-spring-in-our-hearts)." 

Of course those of us living in the Midwest know that May will be entirely predictable and pleasant... Well okay, I've seen it snow in Indiana in May... June and early July (Remember, memories are not facts.). "But," Holmes continues, "somehow, we manage to summon every April the impatience and restlessness that can only mean one thing: we are lusting for spring in our hearts (http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2014/04/16/303724227/lusting-for-spring-in-our-hearts)." 

Well though Spring started back around March 21/22, many of us have not yet fully realized the guilty pleasure of a fully lustful Spring. On the other hand, most days have been rather lusty lately as April races to a close. And, still I wonder if lusting for Spring, especially in our hearts, might be sinful. Have to think on this later, outside.

This lack of full satisfaction may be linked in part to not going outside enough due to reading blog posts or keeping constantly abreast of our incredibly intense social-media-life on an indoor, horribly outdated desk top CPU. At least those who have smart phones or laptops or tablets or whatever tech came out today can do this in the great outdoors. 

However, one recent spectacular Spring day I was walking along a really hip, environmentally attuned, busy urban avenue and a significant minority appeared oblivious to the surrounding beauty as they, heads down, appeared riveted to their smart phones or one of the above mentioned outside internet connections. It must be an acquired skill to be able to do this while walking down a busy sidewalk and not bumping into more people than usual, because I don't have it or a smart phone.

Holmes also astutely notes, "I have feelings about spring. Every spring, I look forward to that first day that I can drive with the window down, even though I've been driving with the window down since I was a little girl...  Every spring, there's that one day... when you turn the corner. You hit the farmer's market... The tables are crammed with berries that are a little early but they are there... You take your berries home, but you eat several of them in the car on the way there, because hey – they're grown without pesticides, right?
(http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2014/04/16/303724227/lusting-for-spring-in-our-hearts)."

Ms. Holmes, I'd like to be able to say all berries found at farmer's market are free of pesticides but I don't think I can.  I'm not even sure I can assure you they've all been  properly washed. But I can tell you I have farmer's market friends who do...

Finally, I was just thinking about how during the dead of the just past winter many of us likely proclaimed that this summer we would not complain about the heat and humidity. But alas, we are human and forgetful and often too prone to complaining. So I'll probably complain anyway. Will you? Have a great Spring!

Mark Wilson/Getty Images(http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2014/04/16/303724227/lusting-for-spring-in-our-hearts