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The First Day of May

Tuesday, May 1, 2018


It's the first day of a month I love very much. May is such a breath of fresh (warmer, flower-scented) air after a long winter... especially a winter like the one we just had. It finally feels like spring, there are even hints of summer in the air (Memorial Day weekend caps off the month, after all), we celebrate Mother's Day, and Steve and I celebrate our anniversary. There are birthdays of loved ones, graduates preparing for graduation, and kids headed to prom and it's just such a celebratory month -- and I'm all about that.

How did you know it was spring when you were a kid? Was it when the air felt different, or your mom said you could put on a pair of shorts? Maybe they finally opened the windows in school to let all the stale air out and fresh air in, or maybe you have special memories of celebrating the important women in your life. Maybe flowers remind you of spring, like they do for me.

I grew up in a pretty small town, in a close-knit neighborhood brimming with kids. We'd race back and forth to each other's houses all summer (all year, really), asking if our friends could come out to play. We had cornfields, trees, and a few open fields surrounding our neighborhood and we'd investigate each one of them -- pushing the limits of where our parents gave us permission to roam just enough

Even if it was still a bit chilly out, at the sight of the first flower, my two best friends Sammy and Christina (hi girls!) would come "calling for" me and we'd dress up in dresses and go running down to the Wishy field. That's what we called it. I guess, looking back, that it was filled with dandelions but to us it was just beautiful -- an expanse of open space filled with wishies (does anyone else call those white dandelion seed pods that?). It was magical. We'd run around in our dresses and at a time in my life I would've said that we looked like lunatics but right now, at 30 years old and decades later, I would say we probably looked pretty damn cute; innocent children dancing without a care in the world in a field of what looked like flowers to us. It reminds me of my own daughters now, who call bright yellow dandelions "daisies" and think they are just the prettiest little things in the whole wide world. 

 Speaking of flowers, my mom and I would also make a trip to the nursery at the beginning of spring. I loved it then and I still do. The smell of dirt, all different types of flowers, the cool indoor part of the nursery in contrast with the sunny outdoor spots, and everything colorful, blooming, alive.

What are your favorite childhood memories of the first signs of spring? 

3 comments:

  1. So special. I love reading about your memories growing up. I remember once Daylight Savings happened, we were all in. We were able to stay outside later, go to friend's houses longer, etc.

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    Replies
    1. Aw, thanks! Yes - DST is the first official sign that spring/summer is around the corner. I love that it's light out much later!

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