Noticing the remarkable

I have always enjoyed the change of seasons. There is something about this time of year that you can physically see the demeanor of people change.

I feel more energized and lighter. More people are out and about as I drive home from work, the sun stays out, and bedtimes begin to relax. The stalks on my irises and daylilies are taller each day. We eat out less and our grill becomes our primary appliance. I love the aroma of someone else grilling when you’re out for a walk in your neighborhood. This is the time of year when our patio becomes our dining room. I love the baby animals I see all over my yard.

Things are less complicated this time of year and the normal day-to-day grind is slowly replaced with leisurely days.

I love seeing the little squirrels chasing each other and the little nest the mama bird has entrusted her eggs in the lilac bush. I love the baby bunnies that begin to emerge and venture around my garden, only to quickly scamper back to their safe places when they hear a human or one of my dogs.

I love seeing the blooms on the trees, the aroma of my sweet-smelling roses, and making bouquets from my own garden. I treasure my trips to the flower nurseries like a child being taken to the ice cream shop. I nearly salivate when I get my veggies planted and I love how my nails look with dirt under them. I will spend the next two months barefoot, and I love it.

Megan Rathz’s garden is full of nature’s remarkable beauty, like this iris (left) and a robin’s nest in a lilac bush (right). (Photos provided by Megan Rathz)

This is the time of rebirth and revitalization. It is a time to slow down and take a breath; a time of renewal, warmth, green, blossoms, and growth. It is the great awakening in our garden as we usher in summer. It is the return of bumblebees, dragonflies, and butterflies.

I have a two-year-old and a four-year-old. The simple excitement of being outside and drawing with sidewalk chalk, walking to our neighborhood playground, spreading a blanket for a family picnic, seeing the first hummingbird of the season, blowing bubbles, playing catch, and riding bikes is pure joy for them.

I treasure the moments spent in the car with my children when one of them notices the blooms on the trees or looks up at the buzzing of the hummingbird on our feeders.

Everything through their eyes is magical. They have such an appreciation for the ordinary things we as adults stop noticing and take for granted. The idea of planting a seed and a flower germinating is truly remarkable to my children. I’m not sure why so many of us adults stop noticing and relishing the miracle of nature.

May this season afford the opportunity for you to notice the remarkable in nature. Instead of focusing on our dandelions and thistle, lawn mower tuneups, and cleaning the air conditioner and gutters, find a reason to stop and take in the magic of this season.

Author Ruth Stout summarizes this season when she said, “I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose, I would always greet it in a garden.”

I could not agree with her more. Nature is speaking to us. Is it inviting us to step back into our gardens this season and make room for new growth, new habitats, and new opportunities for beauty in our own backyard. More than anything, nature is affording us the chance to take in the magic of this season happening all around us. Are you paying attention?

Megan Rathz is a wife, mother, and teacher. She says everything she has ever learned in life came from her Master Gardener mother.