Spring Forward

"Of seasons I am flower-bearing Spring."
(Sri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita, 10.35)

Not many flowers yet. Still, today feels oddly, surprisingly, and wonderfully like Spring. The sun is out, the air is warm, and I can't help but feel up-beat.

Strange how something like the weather can affect my mood so strongly. It brings to mind another allusion that Krishna makes to seasons in the Gita:

"Oh son of Kunti, the comings and goings of happiness and distress of this world are like the changing Winter and Summer seasons. They are temporary and relative to your perception, O scion of Bharata, and you must learn to tolerate them." (Bg 2.14)

The seasons (and the feelings they carry with them) come and go. The unforgiving heat of the summer, the blistering cold of winter, the joys of lazy July afternoons around the pool, the elation of December's first snowflakes gently falling on your tongue... happiness and distress, honor and dishonor, success and setback. The wise, Krishna says, learn to tolerate the flickering dualities of the material world.

That may strike us as odd -- does "tolerate" mean you have to walk around stone faced, an emotion-less Vulcan too transcendental to give a damn about the workings of the world around you?

A sage was once asked to explain tolerance. He paused to gather his thoughts, and then spoke in a soft but confident voice: "Tolerance means that on winter mornings you still take a cold bath, and on summer afternoons you still cook your lunch."

Good or bad, rain or shine -- the spiritualist sees the bigger picture, focuses on his dharma, and perseveres.

Still, we have to be honest with ourselves and our level of detachment. I think I'll go outside for a japa walk.