Equinox

Happy Vernal Equinox!

Unlike the solstices, which are opposite one another, the equinox is the same for northern and southern hemispheres. Besides the obvious beauty and overall renewal that comes with spring (not to mention spring training!), spring is a time of balance. The days and nights are equal—exactly so at the equinox, and nearly so for a while before and after.

Balance is such a key part of life. And it's something that's there all the time. Night balances day, winter balances summer. Sadness balances joy. (I think I hear Byrds singing.) If we seek that balance in our lives, we're the richer for it. And I don't mean finding the neutral middle ground, but seeking the full swing of the pendulum. Running after happiness all the time is empty if we don't let melancholy or sorrow settle in sometimes. It's all part of being alive.

Is it easy? No. Although, in a way it's less stressful. Pursuing the highs of life all the time is tiring. Thank God for them, and enjoy them while they last. But it's unrealistic—impossible, come to think of it—to think we can live there all the time. Part of the problem, I think, is our internal judgment system. We judge everything—circumstances, ourselves, others—as good or bad. And then we let those "good" or "bad" things determine our attitudes. Simplistic as it may seem, the mantra that "it is what it is" can be a huge boon. It's all part of life. To quote the wisdom of the 80s sitcom (I seem to do that a lot here): "You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life."

So enjoy the beginning of spring. Enjoy the rain and the sun. And when we get to the autumnal equinox, hopefully we can have a healthy attitude as the pendulum swings that way too.