In Vancouver, it’s cherry blossom season. Locals and tourists alike flock to its festivals. It’s that time of year when the buds come out, the trees begin to flower, and then suddenly and all at once, Spring is here. The cherry blossoms, the magnolia trees, the daffodils and tulips have all returned, bringing colour back to a place where there has been none for many months.

There is blue sky and sunshine. Warm, glowing light outlines the ripples in the water in a way that the low winter light has not been able to. There is warmth again. The heavy jackets and toques are put away, the umbrellas are used left often (though not to be put away entirely – the rain has only made a temporary exit to stage right).

Although Fall has always been my favourite season (there could be no better time of year for a girl who loves to take walks on crisp, autumn days where the sun is still shining, but the leaves are falling, and there is an endless promise of mugs full of hot tea and cuddling up with good books), but as I grow older I have begun to recognize the magic of Spring. Both seasons are, in their own way, new beginnings, but Spring comes to us at a time when winter has finally depleted us. We have grown weary of gray, heavy skies; of endless days sodden with rain; of the cold, dark nights. We are ready for a kind of rebirth. And that’s what Spring gives us – the return of life, of colour, of soft, easy petals and longer, brighter days.

It’s no wonder Spring also has the habit of inspiring people to clean out their cupboards, to organize their homes, to shed those extra insulating pounds gained during winter hibernation. It’s this time of year that encourages us to re-emerge and refresh. And we’re given that opportunity with a long weekend such as this – Easter. It is a holiday that comes to us in a much quieter, lighter way than Christmas. It gives most of us time away from work, to recharge our batteries, but this time in the light of the sun high in the sky and without the pressures that come with the year’s end.

It’s also by the time that we are almost a quarter of the way through the year – a few weeks away yet, but still, three months of this new year have already gone by. If you’re like me, you might be evaluating where you are in terms of the goals you set for yourself. Perhaps you are not quite where you thought you would be, but chances are you’ve still made progress. It might be a good time now to take stock of that, to recognize what you’ve accomplished and evaluate where you have put your energies. Maybe you’re on the right track with some of your goals, and so for those it’s full steam ahead. But perhaps with others, you’ve gotten off track and its now time to course correct. Either way, better to recognize this now, a few months in, then let the next six or nine months slip by without accounting for where you are. And what better time to do that then now, as the spring day encourages us all to resurface.

The reality is, whether your goals are aligned or not, here we are in this moment. Here we are in the springtime of yet another year and all its promise of what’s to come. Sooner than you think the easy days of summer will be upon us. Time marches on. So we take stock of this moment, of the beautiful cherry blossoms around the city, of the reflection of the sun in the creek, of the magic of this season.

Happy Easter!