12 Simple Ways to Embrace Spring
“Spring is when life’s alive in everything.”
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Last week I shared about the lessons I think we can each learn from the spring season. If you missed that episode, be sure to go back and listen to it! Today, I want to share a list of 12 simple ways I have been (and plan to continue) embracing the spring season.
Living in Texas, spring can often feel fleeting. We’ve already had a few ninety-degree days and once the temperature starts to climb the warm weather is usually here to stay. I’ll be the first to admit that I am a fair-weather girl, so each spring I find myself doing everything I can possibly do to embrace the mildness and gentleness of spring. Honestly, we can learn a lot about elegant living through this concept. Embrace the season you’re in right here and right now. Don’t resist it. Instead, look for the beauty and the joy in it.
So, without further ado, here’s a list of a few ways that you can do just that…
1. Go on a picnic
Is there anything more quintessentially springy than going on a picnic? We’ve gone on a few this year and I’ve loved it each and every time. There’s something romantic about sitting on a blanket under the shade of a giant live oak tree eating delicious food and sipping a sparkling water. You can make these picnics as simple or elaborate as you want. Maybe it involves simply getting food to-go and enjoying your lunch break outside. But if you want to elevate it even more, try packing an actual picnic basket. My family and I especially love to take, what I call, French picnics. Our meals always involve some combination of cheese, salami, fresh fruit, a baguette, and chocolate (although you do have to be careful with the chocolate because it will melt).
2. Plant something
I thought I’d be the last person to encourage someone to garden. Growing up, I was completely uninterested in gardening or houseplants. I had convinced myself that I wasn’t any good at it and that it would just die anyway, so why try? But I have done a complete 180. I am now the owner of 6 houseplants (a fiddle leaf fig, areca palm, zz plant, and some snake plants) and 6 outdoor plants (some jasmine and superbells). And you know what? It is so much fun! I love caring for them and watching them grow and change throughout the year. They’ve almost become my pets. Most of the houseplants I have were chosen precisely because they are hard to kill. I mean the zz plant only needs watered like once a month. This year I stepped outside of my comfort zone and planted the superbells. These are cute little pink flowers in a pot. I cannot believe I waited this long to plant something that flowers. My daughter and I get so much joy from checking on them once or even twice a day. They make me smile each time I sit outside on my patio. In other words, this plant was such a simple way to add joy to my life.
I encourage you to do the same. Go to your local nursery (or even just HEB or Walmart), grab a pretty flower, and plant it on your porch or patio. You won’t regret it. Even if it does die, you will have gotten some joy simply from choosing it, potting it, and admiring it for a little while.
3. Eat seasonal produce
This one is so simple, but as a society we have moved away from this simply because we have access to every grocery item we can imagine at any given time. But, there is something so special about enjoying produce in it’s season. Cherries, strawberries, asparagus, and peas all taste better in the spring. If you’ve ever bought a carton of strawberries in the winter you know this is true. They’re pinkish green instead of bright red, and they’re sour instead of sweet and juicy. You can maximize the joy that comes from eating seasonal produce by limiting yourself to eating food that is in season all year long. Those strawberries a lot more delightful when we’ve gone months without having fresh strawberries.
4. Buy yourself a bouquet of flowers
Nothing screams spring like a bouquet of fresh flowers (okay, they’re probably not screaming… maybe just politely reminding you). I love to buy fresh flowers year-round, but the selection is so much more fun in the spring. This year I discovered the beauty of a tulip bouquet. It was so much fun to arrange them in a pretty vase and then watch as they slowly opened up throughout the week. You might feel like fresh flowers are too expensive, especially for something that will die within a week or so. But, they don’t have to be! The bouquets that I have downstairs right now are small roses that I picked up at the grocery store for $3 each. You might even have some pretty flowers in your yard that you could arrange – and that’s free!
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5. Drink your morning coffee outside
Here in Texas, the spring mornings are cool and it’s so much fun to slip outside with a blanket and hot cup of coffee and listen to the birds greet the morning. Change up your morning routine and start your day outside. Even if you just sit out there for 5-10 minutes, its such an enjoyable way to begin the day.
6. Take a nature walk
This is the best time to get out and go on a walk. Now, I’m not super outdoorsy. I appreciate the beauty of the outdoors, but a leisurely stroll through our neighborhood or a local park is more my speed. You could totally embrace the outdoors by going on some hikes through your local state parks. Or you could do what I do and walk through our neighborhood admiring everyone’s landscaping and blooming flowers. It could be an end of the day ritual with your kids or a way to elevate your 15-minute work break. Whichever you choose (maybe both!?), do it now because before long it’s going to be too hot to enjoy these walks!
7. Enjoy a book on a park bench (or inside during a thunderstorm)
Another way to enjoy the beauty around you is to take your favorite book and read it outside on a park bench or sidewalk café. If you’re lucky enough to have some thunderstorms, curl up on the couch with your book and listen to the rain and thunder.
8. Light a spring-scented candle
Have you ever caught a whiff of an old perfume or candle and were immediately transported back in time? It’s amazing how scents can evoke memories like that. I love to maximize this by using seasonally scented candles around our home. For example, in winter I have a lot of evergreen-scented candles. But in spring I have lavender and peony scented candles. Such a simple way to remind ourselves its spring, even when we can’t go outside. My favorite place to find great candles is at Marshall’s or Home Goods. The best part is that their inventory changes with the seasons, making it super easy to find a scent you like that pairs well with the current season.
9. Bust out the sundresses, hats, and spring-colored clothes
Another way to embrace spring is to dress accordingly. Wear that flowy sundress. Embrace the floral patterns. And have fun with the sun hats! Even if the weather isn’t quite warm enough to wear shorts or tank-tops, you can embrace the spring season by adjusting the color palette that you’re wearing; moving from the bold jewel tones of winter into the soft pastels and florals that we typically associate with spring.
And for goodness sake, can we all agree to make hats a thing again? I love to wear them, but rarely see others wearing them. Not only do they help me protect my fair skin from getting sunburnt, but they’re also just so cute!
10. Visit a local place that thrives in the spring
There are so many places that bloom in the spring, figuratively and literally. Use this season to explore some of those places in your hometown. You could go to the farmer’s market, where you could easily take advantage of the seasonal produce and probably even some fresh flowers like I mentioned previously. Or maybe you have a park that is especially beautiful in the spring. You could visit it, or better yet, plan to take a walk or a picnic there. We recently visited a local vineyard, and it was one of the best afternoons ever. The weather was gorgeous, the wine was amazing, and the grapevines were just starting to get their green leaves. I hope to go back again in the next few weeks before it gets too hot, because it really was that magical. Some other ideas are to visit an arboretum or botanical garden near you.
11. Dig into a spring-themed devotional
A huge part of my morning routine is to read scripture or a devotional book (sometimes both). Why not choose a devotional that helps you appreciate the spring season that we’re in? For example, Ruth Chou Simons’ Beholding and Becoming is a beautifully illustrated devotional and is filled with watercolor paintings of flowers, bees, and butterflies. Another great devotional that I just finished is Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson. Another great resource is Cultivate What Matters’ Write the Word: The Garden journal. I haven’t done this exact one but loved the one I completed and plan to buy more!
12. Don’t rush into summer
This is especially important for those of you who live in a warmer area. The warm weather is here and it’s easy to want to jump into all the warm-weather activities. But as you well know, the warm weather will be here to stay until late November, so there is plenty of time to jump in the pool, eat popsicles, and grill burgers. Don’t skip directly to these activities or you’ll risk missing out on all the unique enjoyable activities of the spring season.
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We spend a great deal of time at work. Like Annie Dillard once said, “How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.” I encourage you to look around your office and see what steps you can take to add simple luxuries to your workday because in the grand scheme of things, they will add up and lead to a luxurious life!