Everyone has heard the term — or participated in — spring cleaning. But to me, spring is about more than cleaning. Spring is a chance to reset.
I love winter, but after a few really long, really cold weeks this year, I was craving warmth. This year especially. We had snow and below-freezing temperatures for what felt like forever.
After a while, the cold keeps you inside a little too long.
You start feeling cooped up.And eventually, everyone in the house is ready for something different.
This past weekend felt absolutely wonderful.The girls and I had been fighting sinus infections. My husband had been dealing with some long weeks at work. One of the boys had a rough week too — but that’s his story to tell.
So when the warm weather finally showed up this weekend, we were ready for it.
Ready to be outside.
Ready to breathe fresh air.
Ready to shake off the winter slump.
There’s something about warm air, a perfect breeze, and sunshine that just makes everything feel lighter. It’s like the stress from the last few weeks quietly disappears.So we leaned into it.
We started new projects.
We spent a lot of time outside.
We caught up with friends who feel more like family.
My husband planted two new peach trees in the front yard.I cleaned up the vegetable garden and started getting it ready for planting.We stopped by our local watering hole and spent time laughing with people we love.
It felt like everyone could finally exhale.
Of course Monday came around and it was back to work and school.
But by Tuesday evening?
We were already craving the outdoors again.
After dinner we all headed outside and started prepping the space for the butterfly garden.My husband tackled the back-breaking job of tearing out the old raised bed that had rotted through. The boys picked up trash and did a lot of raking. I worked on pulling out old roots and vines that had taken over the space.
And the girls?
They caught the vibes and supervised, obviously.
I realized something while we were out there.
We had started our spring reset as a family.
We made the choice to do it together.No arguments. Just teamwork.
Instead of sitting around stewing over bad days or stressful weeks, we decided to do something productive.
I hope moments like these stick with the kids as they grow up.I hope they remember hard work can be fun.
Sometimes the best way to reset your mind is to move your body. Getting your hands dirty can actually bring a sense of peace.
Sometimes the best way to move past a hard day is to step outside, dig into the soil, and reconnect with something real.
Sometimes the best reset is simply grounding yourself in the Earth and finding your calm again.
