You can see Flurries and Petals at the same time

It’s that time of year… when you aren’t sure if the white specks blowing past you in the cold wind are snow flurries or petals from blossoms that bloomed too soon. For most of my adult life I haven’t necessarily appreciated this season. I grew up in Florida, where you could be on the beach most of the month of March. Then as a young adult in Atlanta, there was pollen everywhere at this time of year, (and cue Coldplay,) we used to walk out of our apartments singing, “and it was all yellow.” In the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, March feels like it could use a rebrand. It often snows on the first day of Spring and we’re currently still wearing our big jackets which doesn’t feel right. Typically, the only thing I miss about this season is the ability to easily access my essentials in my jacket pockets.

But one morning this week, I saw many white specks blowing around and had that childlike awe of snow flurries, I saw some again later in the day and realized they were actually small petals from the various cherry blossoms and others that are already in bloom. It made me reconsider, which did I actually see this morning? Flurries or petals? And in that moment, with the sun shining, the wind blowing way too hard and the temps still in the high 30s, I found an appreciation for this season for maybe the first time in my adult life.

An appreciation for this month or this season is really an appreciation for transition. Those white specks, they could be snowflakes if you need more time to rest and look inward. But those same white specks, they could be petals if you’ve done your time and you are ready to bloom. Spring, the real, actual Spring, not to be confused with the end of March, is a season of growth and renewal. And just like babies and toddlers hit big milestones at different times, we’re not all ready to get growing and get going right at the same time. Some of us need more time and so we were given March, a season of trial and transition. It’s as though it asks “are you ready?” and gives you different days and different weather options to consider your response.  

Before each new memorable season in our lives, comes one of transition. Sometimes the seasons of transition are long, but many times transition is a short season where we are holding on and letting go at the same time. Gaining, but also shedding. Removing, but also planting. Celebrating, but also mourning. Leaving, and yet also arriving.   

We need all of the seasons and we need the time to get from one to the next too. And just like a transitional lens or a part-sun/part-shade flower, we’ll adjust to the brightness and find the level of warmth we need. In time, we’ll be certain they are petals and not snowflakes, but until then, they can be whichever one we need them to be right now.