MacPhail

WHETHER it is conditioning of the environment in which I’ve lived or because of the general craving for diversity from which I suffer, I am unsure, but I relish the feeling of the moving seasons.

With the changing of the clocks last weekend being welcomed with some of the best weather of the year, the lifting of the winter cloak was in the air and in the minds and mood of most.

As I conveyed in an article in October while heading towards the winter, the seasonality of the climate is one of the great advantages of living in this part of the planet.

As the transition from autumn to winter is welcomed with looking forward to the long cosy nights by a warm fire, the move from winter to spring brings with it the prospect of long light evenings and bright early mornings.

By the time this piece is published we may have returned to being covered in ice and snow but, for the time being, it is sunny and warm and I am going to pretend it’s going to last!

The world opens up in spring and land and light flourish and grow with every day.

For such a predictable aspect of life, it is surprising how far away spring can feel while in the depths of winter.

The seasons are far less important to the general population of the world than they once were. In our pampered lives protected from the elements, with little dependency on home-grown food and many safeguards against failed crops, harsh winters or poor harvests, we have become immune to the cycles of the earth in recent years.

I am, of course, not advocating voluntary return to risking our lives by giving up our comfortable homes and food security, but the lessons of nature should not be forgotten along with our lack of reliance on it.

A very supportive and regular reader of this column whom I hold in the highest regard, recently commented that my articles are becoming very philosophical. I promise to move to more pragmatic approaches in coming weeks, but in the meantime I’m going to philosophise about the cyclical nature of life.

Of the many lessons we can take from Mother Nature and apply to our own existence, one of the most important is that everything moves in cycles - from one season to another, as it were. The pendulums of life will swing back and forth through good times and bad and most often the swing in one direction is matched by a mirrored swing in the other. Unlike the seasons, the travel and timing of these swings are never predictable, but they will happen.

It is, therefore, good to remember and be constantly aware that when we may feel that our lives are stuck in the depths of winter, if we have patience, spring will come again and the darkness will lift. Similarly, when it feels as if we are blessed with eternal summer, we should be aware that this may not last and therefore be thankful for it, ride the wave and make the most of it, because cold winters will come again when we least expect them.