Baker: Springtime starts in our hearts

Although I wrote this on the official first day of spring, in our neck of the woods we never quite know when to trust that winter is truly over. It might be today, tomorrow, or April (or May?) before all chances of snow are past. I think of spring as a lovely young woman, winking at us from over her shoulder, as she sashays in and out of Northeast Ohio. Unpredictability, I believe, is just part of her very considerable charm.

News flash: did you know it’s possible to have springtime whenever you want? I consider spring — that time of new life, change and growth — a choice. It begins whenever we embrace it in our hearts. Spring-like qualities can be ours today, tomorrow or in January. Sadly, though, for some of us, April never comes. Instead, we may choose to hibernate permanently, like sleepy old bears hunkered down in their caves. Or we might be just the opposite: we may live our lives endlessly on the run, like a hamster on a wheel. Either extreme makes it hard to live a full, joyous life.