Hope Pinned on a Cloudy Day
I’ve written a lot about Groundhog’s Day.
I’ve never written a post about Valentine’s Day, the other February holiday. Which seems odd. Since Groundhog’s Day to Valentine’s Day is like comparing Cyrano de Bergerac in the Looks Department to well, just about anybody else.
Why not write about love? Love is eternal. A powerful force of humankind. A therapist might suggest that I don’t write about love on Valentine’s Day because it may touch feelings I don’t want to think about too deeply much less express.
Or maybe I’m not a mushy love person. Pink hearts and Teddy Bears bearing who-knows-what exchanged between consenting adults make my eyes roll way back into my skull. So far back that they might get stuck—-as said every mother ever.
But Groundhog’s Day. There’s something I can get excited about.
A.) A rodent is involved. I love squirrels, chipmunks, prairie dogs, meerkats and mice (Except when they are in my house. Which I have experienced more than once.) Even a precious chipmunk terrifies me in the house, I know this from experience. A beaver ran in front of my car the other day and I was so excited I called my husband. Yet if I ever found a beaver in my house, we are moving.
B.) There’s an element of mystery with Groundhog’s Day. Will the rodent see his or her shadow? Will we be sentenced to six more weeks before we can even think about starting our garden?
C.) Hmm.
D.)
Okay. Maybe it’s a more esoteric love I have for the Day of the Groundhog. Who knows why affections soar or fall flatter than week-old roadkill in the chambers of the human heart.
Hope. That’s it. I can’t do without love — but at my core, hope is what I search for every moment I’m given.
Hope that I will get this blasted first draft of a novel done. If not today, maybe by the end of this week. Hope that someone will discover amazing new cancer treatments destroying all the evil disease lurking in bodies and leaving those beautiful bodies restored. Hope that the collagen I stir in my coffee every morning not only renews my skin, it’s secretly rebuilding my right knee cartilage. Hope that each new day, I will feel love and laughter and not so tired.
I’ll stop.
Flipping that calendar to the February page, I hear birds chirping in the morning. Daffodil shoots appear. Knowing that some morning soon, our pets won’t be blocking the heating vents with their bodies. April is that much closer.
That’s what seeing that chunky, buck-toothed rodent, being held aloft means to me.
Hope.
And I always wonder if he bites. Do you think he bites?
Groundhog Day is not my favorite eventhough I don’t take stock in the results. I like how you see the hope in though. I’m a spring pessimist 🙁 aaachooooo
Ground hogs get attention today , but I prefer the blue birds who are building their nest again to raise their young in our backyard box. A sure sign Soring not too far away. Thanks for getting my attention. You are good. Maybe you need to hit the road as a speech maker and inspire us all. Happy Groundhog Day and look for the bluebirds . They are beautiful.
Don Harp
Speak? No, will leave that to the litigators and preachers like yourself. But thanks. Growing up in Florida, we didn’t have bluebirds (that I remember). They too hold a magical appeal. Their color is so amazing. We tried a bluebird box ages ago, that Jake made in Boy Scouts. No luck. I need to try again. I do love birds, and they have made it into our house too. Not as terrifying, though bluejays are quite large in the kitchen. Don’t realize that when they are up in a tree.
Oh gosh. I bet spring can be painful for allergy sufferers. Maybe — or should I say hopefully — science will come up with a miracle allergy medicine soon. 🙂
I will bring you one. I make several each year and give them away. Has to be away from bushes etc. and have it face East about five feet off ground.
I will wait before trying again. You can pick out the premo spot.
Right there with you on the Valentine’s front. Red roses just don’t do it for me and I’m sorry but if you friend me on Instagram and your feed is full of just photos of hearts and bouquets of red roses … uh, no, thank you. I’m harsh I know and it was lovely to read that you think along similar lines. Bring on the ground hogs though! Here’s to hope!
It’s funny. Things that I would find fun— nice quiet candlelight dinner and a box of chocolates don’t hold the same alure on Valentine’s Day. Maybe it feels forced?
I agree that Valentine’s Day seems a little forced, but I really never considered GroundHog’s Day to be a day of hope. I think you are right, though. I think a lot of people spend time hoping something will change (even if it is just the weather) instead of making change themselves.
That being said … I like winter. I love candles, jeans, boots, warm sweaters and scarves. So bring on 6 more weeks of winter!
Honestly, Winter is cool. If. A big if. If I’m properly dressed. And the heat works. Can’t tell you how many times that heat kicks on in the morning and I say, “Thank you Lord.”
[…] My last post stated how Hope overshadows Love. […]