Out like a Lion

Maybe it was some sort of dyslexia; maybe it was the tendency for late snowstorms to hit Chicago well after you thought winter was over, maybe it was the nature of the Windy City itself, but I always thought that March came in like a lamb and went out like a lion.

I think the actual folk wisdom is the other way around, but by now I’ve attached to March having a leonine finish and so I’m sticking with the roar of the Easter Bunny.

I suppose things starting fiercely and finishing gently is reassuring (out like a lamb), but when it comes to developing basic trust in the world, a gentle and kind attunement at the beginning sets the stage for brave venturing later on.

Given that kids are at that point of fatigue that comes from all the work they’ve done during the school year, loaded on top of the uncertainty of admissions and acceptances that circle around this time of year for college-bound hopefuls (and private school aspirants from kindergarten on up), it makes sense that Spring Break is a time that kids often cut loose in a more Dionysian manner than at either winter or summer breaks.

Maybe we too need to blow off a little steam, shake off our hibernating natures and make a little noise—whether it’s in the driving snow, the howling wind, the gentle rain or the spring light falling softly on the emerging flowers.

So, on this last day of March (at least for 2010) my vote is for us not to go gently into that cruelest of months ahead, but to roar, be alive, finish strong and sing our songs with more than a little verve and vigor—not to frighten, but to inspire our collective children, helping them witness being grown-up as a fun and empowered thing to do (at least some of the time), so that perhaps they will not overly idealize staying kids forever, but rather relish being kids for now and roll their terrible eyes and show their terrible teeth and join us in the wild rumpus that ends March.

Namaste, Bruce