The one about...Leaning into Spring's expansiveness
Back in the dark ages of the 1970s (quite literally, if you remember power cuts and the three day week), teachers could happily run with a child’s natural curiosity and set open-ended projects as valid educational experiences. My passion of the moment was wild flowers and plants, whilst my desk neighbours were big into beef cattle and rugby. (It was rural Wales, after all). I spent every spare minute for six weeks roaming the lanes and fields, collecting flowers, pressing them, sketching and photographing them on my Kodak Instamatic camera. Then I spent my pocket money at the chemist getting the films developed and borrowing books from the library to research my finds. My granny bought me a scrapbook from Woolworths to display my ‘project’ and I took it to school proudly to share it with my classmates and enjoy looking at theirs.
As well as the obvious benefits of being able to do independent research on something I loved I remember those weeks in Spring as being a golden time. Was it a case of looking back through rose-tinted spectacles or was something bigger at work there? I’m still a researcher and so I did what comes naturally and found out. It turns out I’m onto something.
Light. At this time of year, light levels are increasing exponentially. Every day gives us more light than the one before. That affects our circadian rhythm, our dopamine and serotonin levels and therefore our mood. Spending a lot of time outside, even on overcast days puts us in a naturally expansive frame of mind, full of hope and possibility. And this effect seems more pronounced in children and in women than in the rest of the population. Limiting screen use (especially at night) also enhances the effects.
Noticing. Going outside for a walk is good but going without headphones or a phone is better. Look up. Listen. Notice the seasonal changes taking place around you. You are gathering data. It’s in our DNA. Noticing skills kept our ancestors alive and whilst it may not be a life and death situation any more we are programmed to notice. And once you get into the habit, the more you will notice. The principle is the same as for gratitude journalling. The more you look for thinks to be thankful for, the more you will find. Our brains are working in the background according to the instructions we give it.
Name it - love it - save it. Twenty years or so ago, when my own children were young I remember an outcry when the OJD dropped many nature words like blackberry and crocus from its pages in favour words like analogue and celebrity. Then there was another slew of further replacements in 2012. In truth the dictionary was reflecting the move towards a more solitary indoors childhood and away from natural play and connection to nature. which has been proven to be much more beneficial for the mental health of children. Exactly the kind of childhood I had. A reflection of the problems in society not the cause.
Nature writer Robert McFarlane reflects that it is only when we put a name to something that we truly connect with it and love it. And only then that we want to save it. Being able to name and recognise plants has given me a lifelong love of and connection with them. I notice them; I recognise when they are in decline; I make an effort to plant more. My own children, despite their love of technology can also name and recognise them and I hope one day will pass that on to their own children.
Connection. When you get outside, notice things and move past that into naming and finding out about them, you begin to care about them in a visceral way. And that connects you to something bigger than yourself.
Spring is the natural time for growth and expansion, for nature and for us and my memories of that school project all those years ago more than bear this out.