First Day of Spring

It’s spring at last (and early at that)! Yesterday was the first day of the season, and it couldn’t have been a more glorious day here in Portland. After last weekend’s surprise snow, what a treat to have a bright, sunny day. And 64 degrees? Wow! These are the kind of days that make anyone fall in love with Portland. Wherever you are, I hope that spring arrived in a lovely way for you, too.

Carl and I have been “going to yoga class” here in our home. When the gym closed, our fabulous yoga instructor, Tara Atkinson, started a Zoom class that’s open to anyone. More about that below. What I want to share with you now is a treasured poem by Mary Oliver that Tara read at the end of our class yesterday. Here it is for you to savor:

Spring
Somewhere
    a black bear
      has just risen from sleep
         and is staring

down the mountain.
    All night
      in the brisk and shallow restlessness
         of early spring

I think of her,
    her four black fists
      flicking the gravel,
         her tongue

like a red fire
    touching the grass,
      the cold water.
         There is only one question:

how to love this world.
    I think of her
      rising
         like a black and leafy ledge

to sharpen her claws against
    the silence
      of the trees.
         Whatever else

my life is
    with its poems
      and its music
         and its glass cities,

it is also this dazzling darkness
    coming
      down the mountain,
         breathing and tasting;

all day I think of her—
    her white teeth,
      her wordlessness,
         her perfect love.

So many ways to carry this poem in our heart and in our head. I love having beauty to hold instead of — or at least in addition to— distressing news. And although I’m not a visual person, even I can see this bear.

What signs of spring do you see? I spied three purple buds on the magnolia in our back garden, while out in the front courtyard, the solar butterfly that enchants little Cedar is whirling merrily these days. Even the squirrel eating the best buds off my prize curly camellia says that dark winter is over. I’d wished for another sign, but there it is. And not a moment too soon. We all need more light.

As Tara reminded us, spring is not a time of big growth. It’s a time for planting seeds. Will you be planting a garden this spring? What do you hope to see there in the summer? And what seeds of hope are you planting in your heart? What can you do to prepare your life, as well as your garden, for good growth later? Maybe these are questions that can give us all another way to think about hope for our future.

For now, if you’re interested in joining us for yoga any weekday from 9-10 am, we’d love to have you in the group. Tara is a great teacher, and the class is completely accessible. Whether you’re an experienced yoga practitioner or a first-timer, you’ll enjoy these morning gatherings. They’re an excellent way to calm and stretch our mind, body, and spirit. We do gentle Hatha on Tuesdays and Thursdays and flowing Vinyasa on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Because this is a very mixed group, Tara’s especially careful to explain every move and to offer alternative moves, as well. It’s totally private; Carl and I log on to the Zoom video just before 9 and say hello, then we mute our microphones and turn off our video feed, so that we can see Tara but neither she nor anyone else can see us. You don’t need any special equipment, either. Carl’s mat is still in his locker at the gym, so while I’m on my mat in the dining room, he just does his practice in the bedroom, right on the carpet.

If you’re interested in checking out the class, please e-mail me and I’ll send you the Zoom link for next week when I receive it. Tara is suggesting a donation of $20 per person — not per session, but for the entire rest of March — but everyone is welcome, whether they can afford to donate or not.

In a follow-up to yesterday, thank you, Joel, for sending me the amazing Google link for virtual exhibits and tours — including 360° views! — at museums everywhere: Virtual Tours  And thank you, Eve, for the lovely idea of using FaceTime to share a virtual museum tour with a friend or loved one. Sounds like you’ve planned a great date with your son. Enjoy! I’ve already chosen my first museum to tour.

Be well, everyone. Until tomorrow,
Love from Nancie/Mom/Mimi/Grandma

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