Seasons

“…All the pride and vanity of autumn vanished under the footsteps of Saba wind…” Hafez I had always been fascinated witnessing other animals’ instincts about season changes. How did they know the timing of their mating, food storage, and hibernation? Why couldn’t we be so well-regulated and orderly and in unison with the earth and nature? A few years ago I finally started to “feel the seasons in my bones” for the first time, knowing in the sweltering heat of late August, when summer all of a sudden ends, or in the coldest winter day, being able to smell spring around the corner. I have figured it out now. In order for humans to see how these instincts are working, they just need to live a little longer than on this planet. Once we pass 40, we slowly start to learn a trick or two about how to be in tune with nature! Well, once we are past 40, we learn a lot, period! Though I noticed last year’s hyacinth bulbs sitting on my balcony announced two weeks ago that they would like to give life another shot and hence started to sprout, yesterday was the first time this year when I actually smelled spring. Aside from its renewals and the earth’s awakening, this time of the year is filled with nostalgia and happy memories and huge hopes for me and all Iranians. It is when we start our countdown to Now-rooz (New Day) which is our New Year, which takes place on the first day of spring on March 21st. There is so much to plan, so much to do, and so much to look forward to at this time of the year. I will tell you more about that later.