Kids Comments

The Time Has Come…

To Spend Some Time!

By Marge Shoemaker

It’s time for a change! We’re tired of the cold. We’re tired of being teased with a few days of temporary warmth. We’re tired of days when the only colors in Mother Nature’s paint pot are black, white, and gray…except for those really spectacular, technicolor sunsets and sunrises.

Even Mother Nature agrees! Outdoors, it’s beginning to get green. Crocuses have been spotted peeping from beneath the melting snow. A dandelion poked out its head…the yellow blossom either froze or has decided to become a harbinger of spring. A flock of robins gathered this morning on the berry bush, sharing the bounty with cardinals, finches, and an assortment of other small birds.

We meet in the driveway to chat about plans and projects as the season changes, allocating ample time to accomplish it all. We agree the real indicator that spring is here is Daylight Savings Time. (Remember: spring forward; fall back. Change your clocks on March 14th this year.) The term “Daylight Savings Time” raises some questions. Do we really save time? If time isn’t saved, is it lost? No, we don’t lose time… we spend it.

Some say that time flies too fast and we need to slow down. I think it’s the ways we choose to use our time that makes it seem to either fly by or crawl at a snail’s pace. Now that I’m retired, I don’t get nearly as much done as I did when I was working. I figure there’ll always be time to get things done…I just have to make the time to do them.

Warming March temperatures remind us that it’s time to remove the winter clutter in the yard. Windy winter storms knock down small branches, which land on the leaves that escaped fall clean-up. It’s also time to proceed with preparing the garden plot for planting and procuring the various plants and seeds we’ll need.

Normally, this is the time to get the kids and their equipment ready for spring sports. Calls are already coming in to round up volunteers for sign-ups, clean-ups, and other team readiness projects. As the kids get older, their circumstances and interests change. They might have ideas for activities that are different from the things you normally do. Take the time to decide together how you and the family want to spend your time. Getting everyone’s input can be enlightening. Just because “we’ve always done this” doesn’t mean we have to do it forever.

Take time to evaluate how you spend your time. Changes in activities can be energizing, just as change in the weather is refreshing. As Lewis Carroll wrote, “‘The time has come,’ the Walrus said, ‘to talk of many things.’” Let’s talk of gardening, spring sports, family activities.

We, the people, are ready for change—let’s get outdoors and spend some time!