“The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day He created Spring,” said the British moral philosopher Sir Bernard Williams. In my view, it is this hope that makes spring the most positive season of the year.
The world wakes up in springtime. Having been grey, cold, and still through the winter months, suddenly there are sights, sounds, smells, and flavors bursting from the natural world—and inviting action, inspiration, and commitments to fresh starts in each of us.
Here are some of my favorite ways to embrace the positive, hopeful nature of spring:
1) Lean Into Hope
It’s so easy to connect the feeling of a spring day to the positive attribute of hope. Each seed we tuck into the dirt gets a whispered hopeful wish that it germinates, roots, and grows. Each bulb we planted last fall gets sought out and celebrated when it pokes through the thawing dirt. And each time we step outside to the songs of chirping birds, we hear the hope they have brought back from their winter sojourn and into the warm months ahead. Call hope by its name as you welcome spring.
- 20 Bible Verses About Spring and New Life
- 5 Flourishing Stories of Angels in Bloom
- 12 Refreshing Spring Devotionals to Uplift Your Spirit
2) Clean Out
Give your home a thorough spring cleaning. Get rid of things that no longer bring you joy. Donate old clothes and kitchen items, or shred unnecessary papers. It will leave you feeling clear, clean, and ready for whatever is next in your life. Give your spring cleaning an eco-friendly or an even deeper sense of accomplishment and purpose.
- 10 Eco-Friendly Spring-Cleaning Tips
- 5 Ways to Declutter Your Home with Joy
- 7 Easy Ways to Declutter Your Closet
3) Open Up
Open the windows. Visualize the fresh air swirling through your home and through your lungs. Imagine it swishing away the dusty stillness of the cozy winter season. If spring allergies make an open window a less-than-positive idea, seek out other ways to freshen your space and breathe more deeply. Give your bedding a deep clean. Wipe down air vents in your home to make sure you’re breathing fresh, new air.
- The Spring-Cleaning Job I Look Forward to Most
- 4 Steps to Spring Clean Your Spirit
- 6 Bible Verses for Spring Cleaning
4) Get Moving
Take a walk in the woods—or around the block. Breathe deeply and luxuriate in the invigorating feeling the spring air brings. You might like to seize the warming weather as a chance to kick your fitness up a notch. Amp up your walks or take to the pickleball court with friends. Even if you’re just strolling around the neighborhood or parking at the far end of the grocery store parking lot, enjoy the springtime renewal of your energy and strength.
- 4 Easy Ways to Embrace the Healing Power of Nature
- How Reconnecting with Nature Encourages Spiritual Growth
- Norman Vincent Peale: Let Nature Inspire You
5) Look Closely
Go “searching for spring” in your yard or a local park. Notice crocuses, tulips and daffodils emerging, or leaf buds plumping up on the trees above. Silently thank each for signaling the return of warmth—and of hope.
- 5 Angelic Stories of the Magic of Flowers
- 6 Ways to Pray with Flowers
- Take a “Flower Walk” for a Breath of Fresh Air
6) Freshen Your Plate
After a long winter of warming, comforting foods, it’s a joy to welcome spring by celebrating the season’s flavors. Try crisp, spicy radishes earthy, verdant asparagus, or fresh-but-fleeting produce like pea shoots or fiddlehead ferns.
- Put Radishes Cener Stage for Fresh Spring Meals
- 3 Reasons to Love and Eat More Asparagus
- 3 Short-Seasoned Spring Vegetables to Treasure
7) Watch the Sun Set
As evenings warm up in springtime, step outside to watch the sun sink into the horizon, relishing the slowly-but-steadily lengthening of each day and letting each sunset beckon you toward the languid warmth of the summer that lies ahead.
8) Plan (and Plant) Your Garden
Crack into the soil in your backyard garden or potted containers to sow early-season crops like lettuces, radishes, and peas—or stay cozy under a blanket inside and spend wet spring afternoons planning the garden you hope to grow this season. As the poet Alexander Pope famously said, “Hope springs eternal.” So does your garden.
9) Splash in the Rain
Each time a nourishing spring rain shower taps on our windows, spring’s positivity washes over us, elevating our outlook and mood. Take this opportunity literally by stepping into your rain boots (or going barefoot) and heading outside to drink in the beautiful renewal of a fresh spring rain.
10) Listen to the Birds
Not only is birdsong a relaxing, delightful sound—so much so that it’s featured on many meditation and white noise apps—it is also a reminder that sometimes in life, beautiful things recede from view, but return again. Listen for new birds that are chirping their post-winter joy, and know that the world joins you in emerging into a bright, beautiful spring.
