I read recently that suicides go up in Spring – apparently
the contrast between their own misery and the joyousness of Spring is too much
to bear for those poor souls. I find
this counterintuitive. For me January
and February are depressing months, too dark and damp and cold, and a let down
after the happy harvest of Autumn and the joy of Christmas time. If I receive bad news in those months it
really really gets me down and I feel sad for days. But if something awful happens in Spring, hey
that’s different! I mope for an hour or
two, and then pull myself together and go for a walk.
While walking I see lots of flowers and happy people
enjoying the sunshine, the birds sing and build their nests, the frogs populate
ponds and lay the foundations for the next generation, and the whole world
seems cheerful and brand new. Even
reading the papers with their regular diet of disasters and outrages cannot
dampen my spirits! Somehow every Spring
carries the promise of new beginnings and endless amazing possibilities, so it
is easy to forget one’s troubles and take courage and hope for a better future.
And even if it won’t be my own better future, at least
things will be good for some other people, those who are still young and strong
and ready to take on the world and wrestle it to the ground. I find it well nigh impossible to be
miserable while watching young people walk hand in hand, parents with babies in
pushchairs eating ice cream in the park, old folk sitting on their favourite
benches watching kids feed the ducks on a Saturday afternoon, and all of
creation is green and growing and getting into its stride.
Carpe Diem, I say – Seize the Day (and throttle it!)
Life is good.
