By ena ganguly
Happy Spring to those who are rejoicing the sunshine, wearing skirts and dresses, and sweating it out under the Texas sun! I for one am at my natural state when the sun is out and when the clouds are away. Though I don’t mind the cold, or winter, it’s the mixture of rain, wind and cold that I can’t stand! Why, nature, why? We know why. (Google ‘climate change’ if you don’t!)
In the spirit of spring, I thought, why not create a list of things we can do to celebrate and express our gratitude to the season of love and fertility!
- Gardening: With the warmer weather, this is a great time to (re)connect with the earth and be out in the sun. Soaking up the sun while digging our hands and toes into the earth sounds like such a rejuvenating and uplifting experience. Gardening can also be a spiritual and/or emotional practice so as you plant the seeds of fruits and vegetables, you may also plant the seeds of your intentions, ideas, wishes, and dreams into the earth.
- Embrace our sweat and our hairy legs/arms: Now that we may want to wear more skirts, dresses, or clothing that shows off our arms and legs, there might be pressure to shave your leg/arm hair. Personally, I shave when I feel like it and don’t when I don’t want to. It’s very simple reasoning, and I encourage everyone to go by it if that’s what makes folks feel good! There is a lot of beauty in hair, and what’s more, it’s a natural part of who we are. I grew up seeing my aunts, grandmothers and great-grandmothers with hair on their legs, arms and armpits. The notion to shave off all of our hair is a very new one to me, but a trend that has been a point of trauma for many Black and Brown femmes and women. So, if you feel pressure to shave and really don’t want to, remember that our ancestors were not too familiar with it either and they were beautiful, resilient and wise.
- Practice making lemonade and ice tea: Spring is the predecessor to Summer, so now is a great time to start practicing how to make the sweetest, tangiest lemonade and the iciest, most delicious sweet tea! In the middle of all the heat, lemon tastes so fresh. Plus, lemons are alkalizing to the body and gives us the hydration we need to replenish our bodies from all the sweating we do. As for sweet tea, try putting the tea in a glass container and sit it out in the sun to make some delicious sun tea!
- Enjoying the long days: This is one of my favorite things about the warmer seasons, the long days and shorter nights. I’m definitely a sunflower. I love sunshine and longer days, it means I have more time to do the things I love and enjoy the outdoors!
- Clean our loving spaces – Spring equinox has always been a time of change, including the shifting of energy. This is a great time to clean out all the things, tangible or otherwise, that you’ve been meaning to and/or working towards and bring in the new, loving energy and sense of stability in your loved in and lived in spaces.
- Eat all the seasonal foods you missed – All the lovely fruits and vegetables that we did not get to eat during the colder seasons are making a come back! Something even more exciting is that we can plant the seeds of fruits like strawberries, blueberries, and plums and vegetables like sweet corn and squash to enjoy when summer comes around.
- Celebrate birthdays: One of the ways to celebrate the Spring season is to celebrate all the people who you love and cherish who are born in the Springtime! I’m looking at you Pisces, Aries, and Taurus!
- Read new books and watch new movies: Try out the newest best seller this season or the hottest movie that will be released in March or April. I know my partner and I are waiting to see the new Captain Marvel movie, though we both wish Captain Marvel was a POC (I personally think this would have been a perfect opportunity to introduce a non-binary person of color into the marvel world, but that’s just too good to be true). What about you?
- Have cook outs: If you can stand being outside without having to deal with allergies, I think this is such a nice time to lay out on a patch of grass and watch the clouds float by, or snack on some carrots and hummus at the park while people watching. Ah, it’s finally that time. I’m getting excited just thinking about it!
- Create new looks for the spring season: Now, if you’re fashion forward and love to have on the latest look, why not shop for the spring season? If you want to get new clothes on a budget, you can also start shopping for winter clothes because the discounts will be way more now than it was at the beginning of the winter season.
How do you celebrate the Spring season? Share with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram?
