Something special seems to happen every year when Easter is in the air. No matter your religious beliefs, the thought of furry bunnies and fuzzy ducks and lots of candy is enough to put a smile on anyone’s face. Just the idea of the kids running around looking for treats at the seasonal Easter egg hunt can elicit delight from even the saddest of faces. So what is really at work here?
Well, if you ask me, it is Spring. Everything about this holiday represents a rebirth. For those who are Christians, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the source of this celebration. But, at this time of the year when the seasons have changed and the trees start to bloom again, we see a rebirth in nature as well. The flowers are showing their beautiful colors and the grass is already green in many areas. And if you are fortunate enough to live in the warmer climates, the coats have been put away for another year and the sun is warming everyone to their core. It is the time of the year that poets write about love and the young at heart.
I think that this is the time of the year that we should all think about having our own personal rebirth. Why not throw off the depression of the cold winter months and shed any doom and gloom that is still attached to us and let loose with a walk in the park or a run through the puddles in the rain. Why can’t we leave behind all of the drudgery of the cold and icy days and free our spirits to soar with the birds. This seems like the perfect time, too, to reconsider those New Year’s resolutions and either resurrect them with a renewed spirit or just ditch them permanently.
For me, bring on the chocolate bunnies and the marshmallow peeps and the peanut butter eggs. Let’s have our traditional Easter egg roll with the hard boiled eggs in the morning and have them as part of our usual Easter breakfast. Let’s have the awesome holiday dinner late in the afternoon so that there is still time for the little Easter pastries that have been procured for dessert. Let’s watch the Charlie Brown holiday special in the evening with all of the rest of the family and laugh at the same silly things that we laugh at every year. But, at the end of the evening this year, let’s do something a little different.
When we return home after the festivities and begin to prepare for the coming work week, let’s all make a decision to take the spirit of the holiday right in to and through the coming week. When things start to get tough, think about the cute bunnies that filled your holiday and how they made you smile. When someone starts to make the day a little harder, think about the children running around the yard with pure abandon. And if you are like me, take a little stash of your leftover candy and put it in your desk drawer. That way when tempers start to flare or things start to get stressful, savor a couple of jelly beans to sweeten your day. When all else fails, make a dash for the door at break time or lunch time and get outside to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. It will do wonders to lift your spirits and can turn your day completely around. And if all fails, just remember that as soon as the work day is over, you still have plenty of sunshine and daylight to enjoy and share with family and friends. Let’s just hold on to that holiday spirit for as long as possible and if we really work at it, perhaps we can just keep it going until Spring and Easter return again next year.
Barbara Jacoby is an award winning blogger that has contributed her writings to multiple online publications that have touched readers worldwide.