Spring Blossoms!

Posted: 12 years ago | By: Christine Somers | In: Rest & Relaxation | Read Time: 1 minute, 53 seconds

Spring blossoms forth in an annual cycle; so do the other environments that nurture your mind, body and soul. Now, as nature is beginning to flourish, won’t you join me in noticing the blossoming of some very important environments: our communities.

I’m a transplanted Floridian and one of the things that keeps me going during dreary New England winters is considering that the environments that make up our lives tend to rejuvenate along with the earth. I have to remember this in the dead of winter. Winter here is like going through hard times in Florida. During dark days of any kind, we rely on our innermost environments to sustain us: our spirits, our conversations with friends and family, our homes and our winter classes / activities. 

Thankfully, along with spring, the outer environments: community, gardens, nature and will return and ease your every step. During the spring, summer and fall, when life feels dull or lonely, I can always walk a few steps into my community and feel stimulated, inspired and uplifted. My neighbors are so warm, that many are now friends. Walking about and exchanging greetings can be so energizing. I soon feel loving and maybe even loved. How does your community affect you?

This spring, in a celebration of communities everywhere and in reverence for the communion we have with the glories of the earth and all of its creatures, I would like to chronicle the flowering of my community in a series of brief writings. I’d also like to hear about the coming of spring in your community and in your country. 

As an architect and urban designer, I’ll notice the subtle physical cues that make a life-altering community. Along with the blossoming of our communities come special rituals and activities of spring and I can’t help but appreciate these. I’ll share simple ways that you can bring these things into your community or reinforce what is already there. I hope that you’ll repay the favor.

Now, its time for me to step out into the sunshine. I’ll head over to my local coffee shop and savor my community. I’m pleased to think that we may exchange thoughts on these simple joys.