by Kristi Gay, freelance writer
March has always been my favorite month since I can remember, likely because it’s my birthday month which was the most special day of any kid’s life, from bringing cupcakes to share with your class, to a birthday party and games, to the best thing of all…PRESENTS! Now in my mid-forties birthdays are obviously a lot less exciting, but March is still my favorite month because it fully symbolizes NEW BEGINNINGS. The days are getting longer with more daylight, sometimes we’re lucky enough to see tiny green buds or the first perennials that break through the frost. Baby animals are born, and things just seem BETTER.
The first day of spring and spring equinox is March 19 this year. I always thought it was March 21, but according to almanac.com, it changes year to year! The vernal equinox, which is when the Sun crosses the celestial equator which is an imaginary line in the sky above Earth’s equator from south to north, happens at the same instant everyone on Earth. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere it’s the spring equinox, and for those in the Southern Hemisphere it’s the autumn equinox. Spring arrived on the 21st of March during most of the 20th century, but the event slides earlier and earlier during the 400-year Gregorian calendar cycle. The final March 21 equinox was in 2007.
How can “new beginnings” show up metaphorically in your life? There is the obvious “spring cleaning”, opening windows and getting the dust out after a long, dark and (usually but not this year!) cold winter. Some people do the 30-Day Bag Challenge, taking one trash bag of stuff out per day to donate or throw away making decluttering less overwhelming. Maybe a new beginning for you might be getting more fresh air by starting a daily walk (even five minutes!). Maybe it’s time to PLAN something - if you’re looking around at people doing fun things and feeling sad that you’re not - all it takes is someone to plan something! Plan a small garden and map it out! Plan a meal and invite a couple friends over (and get tulips!). Plan a game night. Plan a trip! It’s very fun to have something to look forward to, but if you don’t plan anything then nothing will ever happen!
Or new beginnings might mean getting involved in something you haven’t tried before. The first day is the hardest, fumbling around with where to go and how to check in (for example, at a new class in watercolor painting at the community college). But if you can put on your BIG BOY/GIRL PANTS and get through that first day, you won’t regret it because you’re doing something new. Even if it is something that you end up not enjoying, it’s still new information and adventures to laugh about later! Think back to what you loved to do as a child or young adult: Photography? Dance? Art? Scrapbooking? Golf? Music (either playing or listening)? I once convinced my husband, a hunter/fisherman type, to enroll in a 6-week ballroom dancing course and then attend the Viennese Ball at UWEC just for something new and fun to do. If you’re retired, THIS IS YOUR TIME. You’ve worked all of your life to be able to not work, so it is a disservice to yourself to sit home and do nothing but watch TV and nap. But even if you’re still working, there is no reason you can’t start something new and fun.
What NEW BEGINNING can you start this month?
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