The Greening 💚

And everything that comes with it.

Ahh, the Greening of Spring.

It happens gradually at first. Brown grasses slowly start to turn Green. Buds appear on the trees. And then come the leaves.

They say that the spring Green we all know and love is the color of the heart chakra.

I’m not surprised.

It’s otherworldly in its beauty and if you pay attention when you see it, you might feel your heart sigh with delight.

This year, I promised myself I would give spring all the attention it deserves, as I had to say goodbye to my beloved winter.

And so, on my walks, I tried to notice everything that was changing.

One morning, I happened upon these large, mysterious buds unfurling on trees everywhere. I had no idea what they were.

And then, I looked at another branch on the same tree and saw this:

Beech trees! Do you remember my post “The Beech and the Hemlock?” Well, now I know how this beloved tree looks in spring. She has an outfit for every season!

Each day I noticed something different.

Yarrow leaves started sprouting up everywhere. Dandelions. Violets. Three plants that I love to nibble on - all nourishing spring herbs.

Dandelion - one of the most healing “weeds” on the planet

I’ve lived only in Michigan (for nearly fifty years) and the Northeast. Both places have four distinct seasons, and I don’t think I would be content living without them.

Each spring there comes that day when, almost overnight, The Greening begins.

This year it happened a few weeks ago, when after a heavy rain, the magic began.

It was a Friday and I was out running errands. Driving down a deserted country road, I rounded the bend and there it was.

That GREEN.

My heart began to beat faster and I struggled to keep my eyes on the road. It was everywhere.

The forests here are mostly mixed with evergreen and deciduous trees. It’s the best of both worlds and so even during the winter, we have an abundance of heart-opening Green.

But, it’s not just the popping of the deciduous trees that are responsible for The Greening. The evergreens play their part, too, with new growth of the most vibrant Green.

Green represents life, renewal, and calmness. These are all of the things that are directly impacted by your heart chakra.

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that a chakra which shares the color green is also directly connected with nature. In addition to being open and loving, a person who has a well-balanced heart chakra is likely to enjoy spending a great deal of time in nature. In fact, they have a tendency to connect with nature in a way that other people may not fully understand. For these individuals, the best thing they can do to clear their heads and calm their souls is to spend time in nature. — The Heart Chakra and its Green Color Meaning

I noticed that the path leading into the woods was also participating in The Greening.

And last week, when I stopped by the spring to get my water for the week, it was also popping with that Green.

Even the mountains began to fill in with, you guessed it, Green!

Soon, there were flowers erupting everywhere, transforming the woods once more.

So, what is “everything else that comes along with” The Greening?

There’s the good...

The day after I wrote my post titled “The Birds” the first Hummingbird came to my cute little red feeder. Now, they are here daily.

On the same day, I saw the first Baltimore Orioles I’ve ever seen! I felt like The Birds had come to thank me for writing about them.

The following week, my first Bear visitors came into the yard: a huge, healthy-looking Mama Bear and her two cubs.

Chip has returned, and he seems especially at home this year. He likes to sit on my kitchen stoop and chirp away several times daily. He is welcome there, as long as he doesn’t try to come inside.

You just never know, once The Greening has happened, what wild animals will end up in your yard, or on a walk in the woods. Just now, while typing away, I heard a rustling sound and turned around to see a pair of wild Turkeys nibbling at the seeds under the bird feeders. I have learned not to walk too quickly past the windows or make too much noise to disturb whoever might be outside.

And then, there’s this:

Bug Season has officially arrived and the itching has begun.

Eating raw garlic every day and spritzing myself with vanilla extract hasn’t exactly been foolproof. I’ve had one tick bite that I discovered right before bedtime, and because it was in such an awkward place (they love to do that) I botched the removal and had to drive down the road for my friend to finish the job. They don’t itch, they’re just downright creepy.

I’m nursing a deer fly bite right now and they do itch like expletive deleted. They haven’t arrived army-style yet, but a few have buzzed around and one got me behind my ear. I fear them the most. They are wicked. They swarm. And they last all summer.

The black flies are here, but so far, I’ve been lucky, and maybe they really don’t like garlic breath. That’s all I’ll say about the bugs, as I really am trying not to whine about them too much. That being said, I have a few friends who are safe to bitch with, as they are also dealing with a bug season of their own.

I haven’t even mentioned mosquitos, but oh my they are here too. They seem harmless compared to the other bugs but I probably wouldn’t say that if I was a night owl. Forget sitting outside to look at the stars. I went outside to take a photo of the full moon in Sagittarius because she was so splendid, and I lasted about thirty seconds, with two armfuls of bites the next day to show for it. I couldn’t even take the time to adjust the settings on my phone.

My friends from life in the city would have a good laugh if they saw me now. I used to have a bit of style, or so I thought. Well, you cannot live here and walk into the woods during Bug Season without looking like a nature nerd. I have zero pride.

And so, refusing to let the little buggers keep me out of the woods and away from the ponds, I suit up in my new dorky light-colored pants with cuffs, and white socks pulled over them (so you can see the ticks crawling up them if you’re lucky.)

Leaving no skin exposed, I don a long-sleeved white T-shirt, wrap a scarf around my neck, put on a hat, and complete my nerd outfit with a bug net over my head. Yes, this is for real. Why white, you ask? Apparently, every earth-toned color that I love also attracts biting flies. And it’s harder to see ticks crawling on you.

During my first bug season, I was advised to wear a hat under the netting because the blood-sucking demons can bite right through the netting if it’s lying against your face. I have a clove of raw garlic with breakfast (yum!) and spritz some vanilla extract on for extra measure.

Oh wait, I lied. I’m still talking about bugs.

I try my best to get out early in the morning before the troops are out as well as the heat. It’s a perfect storm for heat stroke dressed like that.

I did all of this and well, I was humbly rewarded.

First, I saw a young Bear in my front yard. When I opened my door to go outside, he scooted back into the woods.

Then, fully suited up, I came to the Pond, where I was immediately greeted by a black Snake sunning himself on the rock near my sit spot. He slithered away into the water before I had a chance to talk to him.

What’s a sit spot, you ask? It’s a Nature nerd term for anywhere you sit yourself down and quietly observe your surroundings.

View from my sit spot on Gone-Away Pond

There were Dragonflies everywhere swooping around eating those nasty biting flying bugs.

Then I saw these Canada geese gliding gracefully across the Pond.

I was thinking how nice it would be to sun myself on the rocks in shorts and a tank top like the Snake was doing when I interrupted him.

But, then I thought to myself “How can I possibly complain this morning?”

I noticed that The Greening was even happening in the Pond.

I could go on and on about how peaceful my morning was, bug suit and all. But this is getting way too long. I just wanted to say that yes, hiking at a fast pace has its health benefits for sure - it gets your heart rate up and moves those muscles, but I think just as much healing happens sitting on a rock with your feet in a pond watching all the wildlife come by if you’re lucky and you get quiet and just pay attention.

For someone who’s been in constant motion most of my life, this is deep medicine. Being in the stillness, the breeze blowing away the bugs, I could’ve just stayed in the house, afraid of all the bites I might get if I ventured out, but this is my reward: going out early, dressing accordingly, and being open to miracles around me.

The Forsythia have come and gone and the Lilacs are presently perfuming the air. The Greening is fully here, and soon, summer will be upon us.

I hope that those of you in the northern hemisphere are or have experienced The Greening this spring. And to those of you in the southern hemisphere heading into winter, well, I’m just a little bit envious!

Much Love,
Barbara

P.S. I’d already recorded this post when I remembered that I forgot something very important that I wanted to say. We humans like to think that we’re the boss of this planet, but we’re not. Perhaps all of these pesky bugs are here to remind us of that fact. They have a purpose too, I’m sure…whatever that may be! :)

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