I almost lost myself again. Then I took a walk outside.

Spring is the ultimate drug.

Mar 31, 2025

I was born in the cold of the East Coast and grew up mostly in a small mountain town in Colorado. It was bitterly cold in winter. I remember the quiet of those Colorado mountains. The snow was a blanket over the forest that quieted all beneath it - the only sound was the crunch of hard snow under my fur-lined boots. When I heard the sound of birds chirping in the morning upon waking in bed, I knew spring was upon us.

I visit those mountains in my memories. I think of my family. How my parents picked that town - one hour outside of Denver where my father worked. They fell in love with the dirt roads and the smell of evergreen trees in the summer rain.

I moved to Southern California when I was 15 and never looked back. I wake up every day to birdsong. I attached a bird feeder to the window in front of my art desk to see them up close. It’s funny how these little creatures live around you that you never noticed before - like the Oak Titmouse with his silly mowhawk. He is shy and easily scared off if I dare to move. When the Grosbeaks land with their sharp features, everyone flees. They hold their ground while my pencil moves across the paper.

There are therapeutic benefits to listening to birdsongs daily. Studies show it reduces depression, alleviates anxiety, and promotes overall well-being. As does the very wonder of nature and being surrounded by it.

I see how life pulls on us. Winds us up. Politics. Health scares. Just the daily grind of adulting tasks. How we seek to unwind. The need to unfurl from it all. A glass of wine. A purchase that delights us. A trip to escape the routine. It seems all along we just had to take a step outside. To take a deep breath. To notice things you never did before. How the landscape changes. How it all grows back more beautiful than you remembered it.

I found these blooms on a neighborhood tree. I have walked by it for over 10 years, yet I never noticed that in spring, the bark blooms. It is a Red Bud tree. Parts of the bark and roots are edible and have been used in traditional medicine. They are especially beneficial for pollinators. 🐝