‘And now it’s spring, so my ideas are always so nice, sharp, inventive, and the dreams I have are tender; everything is rose-coloured‘, Poor Folk by Fyodor Dostoeovsky (1846)
Walking around Cardiff over the last few days, I have noticed the daffodils in bloom. It’s 5pm and suddenly I’m not walking home in the dark. The sun has come out to greet us, and the rain has slowed down. Spring is on its way; everything feels possible again. Looking at the flowers coming back and the seasons changing, I feel my heart open itself back up to the world.
The abundance of flowers blooming marks the turn of the season. It signals brighter days ahead and a new sense of optimism. March’s primary birth flower is a Daffodil, fittingly synonymous with Wales and the spring. It’s impossible not to notice the yellow bulbs blooming, signifying a fresh start. Daffodils are a sign of renewal and motivation to work towards our goals. Seeing the flowers in bloom, I begin to grow back into myself again.
Another beautiful spring flower are Jonquils which represent prosperity, luck and happiness. After the celebrations around the Lunar New Year, change is all around. As we move away from the year of the snake and shed our final layers, we are reborn and ready to embrace the change of the seasons. With spring freshness in the air, it’s time to start letting go and embrace change this season. Seeing these flowers in bloom, I can’t help but be excited for the possibilities that a new season will bring.
Time and time again in literature, art and media, spring has represented growth, new love and opportunities. La La Land for example, portrays how everything is idyllic in the spring, with the protagonists falling in love and making headway on their dreams. It’s a dreamy reality as if you’re looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses. As the days get warmer and brighter, spring is the time for our hearts to grow and our love to blossom. As flowers bloom together in patches, spring is the season for us to bloom together.
Spring is also a time for forgiveness. Hyacinths, which also bloom this season, signify forgiveness and repairing relationships. It is a time to forgive and leave behind any anxieties and move on with a fresh disposition. Spring offers us an opportunity to embrace growth, to be remorseful and move towards creating good habits and healthy relationships.
When we think about what these flowers mean, we begin to appreciate them more. Especially after the colourless, cold months of the winter, it’s refreshing to see how everything can change for the better in a few months. With the turn of the seasons, we appreciate how it takes time to feel whole and new again. As the flowers wait through the winter to finally bloom, the turning of spring is a lesson in patience and perseverance. As daffodils begin to greet us as we walk through Cardiff, nature reminds us we can start afresh.
The flowers are in bloom; it’s a message from the earth and the universe to go forth and grow. We can hope for more sun in Cardiff and to spend our days walking around the parks and seeing the flowers in full bloom. Like the daffodils, we’re strong enough to withstand the winter and welcome the blossom come spring.
‘It’s spring, you’re young, you’re lovely, you have a right to be happy. Come back into the world’ – Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Words by Qadirah Stephens
Featured image courtesy of Pascal Bernardon on Unsplash. No changes have been made to this image. Image licence found here.
