“The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses.” ~Hanna Rion

Last week, I was fortunate enough to vacation near the ocean. Now, back in western New England, I miss it…and I’m not even an “ocean person.”  I grew up near Lake Michigan, which, surprisingly to some, is a lot like the ocean minus the salt.  I miss the slow, steady pulse of the ocean waves: sure, constant, and reassuring like a mother’s heartbeat.

I chose to sit by a bubbly stream–a distant second–to write this. Like missing the taste of Mom’s good home cookin,’ my ears miss the sound of the powerful ocean waves.

It is now mid-March and spring is tapping on the garden door.  I ponder the deprivation endured by my other senses during the usually long New England winter: my eyes missed colors; my skin missed the warmth of the sun and soft breezes; my tongue missed the flavor of farm-fresh produce; my nose missed the dampness of spring, freshly mowed grass, and fallen autumn leaves.  My ears missed song birds and rushing water.

Now that we have been blessed with an early spring heatwave, are our senses still in hibernation?  Are we listening–truly attending–to the birds rejoicing their return?  Are we noticing the early spring flowers and baby green leaves sprouting on bushes?  Can we once again smell the air–fresh, not frozen–in our nostrils?

Spring is stirring, awakening.  Are we?  Let us arise from our seasonal slumber, stretch our sleepy senses, yawn with a yearning for all sound, sight, savory, and skin sensations that spring so graciously brings.  Rise and shine!  Greet the day, and greet the rebirth of Spring!

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