I've been noticing more and more splashes of green around town lately. No, I'm not talking about trees budding or spring bulbs sprouting. Far from it. We've had three snow storms in the last ten days, and while my area was lucky and only got a taste of it, it was still more snow, wind, and all-around grayness then I want to see again. No, the green I'm referring to are all of the shamrocks popping up in every one's windows and on front doors. St. Patrick's Day is just a few days away and as the old saying goes: "On St. Paddy's Day, everyone is Irish!"
I've always wondered why everyone gets so excited about this holiday. After all, there are other saints that have their own feast days as celebrated in the Catholic Church but they don't usually get parades (except maybe in New York City where they have parades for ever thing - I grew up there). Nor is it, I suspect, because Irish folks know how to party ... seriously, ever been to an Italian wedding? No, I suspect it has more to do with the time of the year when this holiday falls than anything else.
March is the month when one's tolerance for cold, snow, and a colorless existence has run out. Just when we need it, here comes a parade all decked out in brilliant green, the color of spring. Everyone is laughing, dancing (I loved Riverdance), eating and drinking. It's time to bid winter goodbye and welcome spring on with a bang, sort of like New Year's for the seasons only with better food!
Sometimes we have to make our own celebrations to lift our spirits and remind ourselves that no storm, and no season, lasts forever even though sometimes it may feel as if it does. So we need not wait for an official holiday to find reasons to be grateful. For instance, I spied a small flock of geese heading north the other day. I cheered them on! Maybe I'll create a "Welcome Back" celebration for them, complete with nuts, seeds, popcorn and party horns that sound like geese honking. We can decorate a hat with feathers (fake ones, of course ) and wear it proudly!
What can you celebrate?
And so it is!
