The Wild Winds of Spring

By Rev. Carol Bodeau

Hello friends,

It is blustery today. After a few weeks of mild, warm, even sometimes kinda hot weather, we are expecting snow again this afternoon. Covering plants that already blossomed, pulling the warm sweaters back out of the spare closet, building a fire in the fireplace…all things that we go back to when the weather turns, once again, in a direction we hadn't fully expected. But of course those returning cold days are to be expected. Isn't that the nature of spring, after all?

I have been thinking a lot lately about something called the "negativity bias," which is the human tendency to focus on what's going wrong, instead of right, to prioritize putting attention on problems, rather than blessings. We are wired to help ourselves survive by paying less attention to things that are okay, and more attention to things that we perceive as not okay. So when we get a slight dip in the trend towards warmth, as is inevitable in spring, we can be pretty gloomy about how awful those few days of cold weather are. I heard it at coffee hour yesterday, so I know some of you are feeling it.

The antidote to the negativity bias (which is not as essential now as it was in the days of bear attacks, starving times, and illnesses without modern medicine) is a conscious and even determined commitment to putting our attention on things that support our well-being, both physical and emotional. Worrying, fretting, complaining…well they are not on the list of things that "serve us well." Instead, we can intentionally choose to focus on gratitude and noticing what is going well. For example, I do in fact have great covers I can easily slip over my orchard plants, and fleece-lined work pants to wear while I do the job. And my survival is in no way threatened by this cold snap.

It is tempting to do what my young adult family members call "doom scrolling." We can get lost in the media mayhem reporting stories of horror and disrespect for life, of war and destruction and just plain stupidity. And we do need to be aware of what's happening. But as Suzanne Molnar spoke about in her sermon yesterday, there is still a LOT going right in our world. We are still incredibly lucky to be living life today, even with all its imperfections and challenges.

In spring, we get to choose: focus on that darned cold air, or on the lovely chance to have a couple more days with a fire in the hearth. We can be miserable about dreary skies, or really appreciate the cozy feel of reading a good book under a fuzzy blanket. We can bemoan how long it is until summer, or appreciate the audacity of those daffodils thrusting their faces to the sun, despite the cold wind. In all ways, we do have the ability to choose—with some patience and persistence—what holds our attention.

Let's use our attention to be both aware and appreciative, both honest about what's happening out there, and hopeful about what is possible.

In gratitude for sharing the journey with you,

Rev. Carol