The First Day of Spring
A Reason to Smile
Well, Steady community, today marks the official first day of spring. And isn’t that a reason to smile?
There is no shortage of artistic celebrations for this season of renewal, rebirth, and vibrant color. We would love to hear your favorite songs, poems, and other works of art about spring in the comments section below.
We thought we would celebrate with a song that doesn’t actually mention the word spring, but for us at least, captures the spirit beautifully.
It is the iconic “What a Wonderful World” made famous by the incomparable Louis Armstrong. It’s one of our favorites (we’ve shared it before) — a heartfelt tribute to being alive, aware of the bounties of nature, and in community with our fellow human beings.
In these difficult times, we can find comfort in the world this song evokes — observant, present, and empathetic. Surprisingly, the song was not a hit in the United States when it was originally released in the late 1960s. It wasn't until its inclusion in the 1987 film “Good Morning, Vietnam” that it climbed the charts. Now it is a beloved part of the American musical canon.
But isn’t that one of the powers of art? It’s always there for us to rediscover. Sort of like flowers blooming after a cold winter — both precious and precarious. It’s a wonderful world, indeed, if we open our eyes to its beauty and do the hard work to protect it.
Spring is a wonderful time to renew that pledge. We hope you enjoy it.
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It's also the first day of my 81st year--which is in itself a remarkable thing.
Terrific song, thank you for sharing. I especially like the line "I see them bloom, for me and you". He doesn't differentiate or discriminate in that lyric or sentiment. Then the line the "men shaking hands, saying 'how do you do'". Again, no differentiation or discrimination. Here's a person who experienced some of the worst discrimination and yet he delivers such a heartfelt lyric about all people as equal.
A whole group of folks need to wake up and realize that this is not just a lyric, it's the very recipe for making - and keeping - America (and the world) wonderful. It's not the neo-fascist "I'm better than you" or "you have to live your life according to my rules and my religion and my poltics and my, my, my...".
No, friends, we are all in this together. THAT'S what makes this world wonderful.