In praise of seasons

Listen, I love California and its weather. Being from the cold north and living there for one year, I surely appreciated the stable, dry and warm weather all through the year. It was incredibly convenient.

But man alive, do we have something you do not have.

Yesterday, I was walking out in the afternoon. January has been warmer than average this year in Oslo, and yesterday was particularly warm. When I went out, I could immediately feel the warmth from the sun (this is very unusual in December/January), and most importantly, I could hear birds singing.

And not just any other bird. It was the kind of bird you typically hear in spring. I have no idea which kind of bird it is. But I know for sure it is a spring bird because I could literally feel a rush of euphoria flowing through my entire body when I heard it.

As a Norwegian, I become extremely attuned to seasons, and in nature there are all these cues that the senses take in. My senses then send a signal to my soul, or whatever it is, that something is coming. And I can instantly feel it, on a deep and foundational level, a transformation takes place, and it is almost like entering into a different life.

It is all in attunement with the seasons.

I am not particularly transcendental or anything, but Spring and I have a special relationship. We sort of become one with each other. Every time it comes around, I become it, and I get to experience several months of pure awakening. It really is an incredible feeling, a state of euphoria. I believe it is similar to the effect of certain drugs.

Listen to this video and see what I mean.

The sound of blackbirds, in particular, really hits a nerve in my soul. A good nerve.

I guess it kind of sucks that we have to go through winter in order to get spring. But the variation makes things more fun.

Let’s hail the great phenomenon of seasons and be thankful every time something dies. Then we can wake up in synchrony with it.