Of the four seasons, spring best symbolizes hope.
For farmers, it’s the time when the earth unlocks and soil, seed, water, and sunshine produce green shoots that represent the hope for a bountiful crop. For Christians, spring means Easter and the hope of resurrection. For the betrothed, it’s the traditional season for exchanging rings and promises in hopes of a shared future. For children, spring brings not only mud puddles for splashing and an end to heavy coats but is also the opening act for summer and the expectation of long, leisurely days without schoolroom books and bells.
And during this particular spring of 2024, something happened that taught me a lesson about passing hope along to others.
A Friend’s Request
In mid-March, a friend who spends long hours every day as a writer and editor mentioned in an email that she was undergoing greater stress than usual, which was probably an understatement. She’d lost her “writing mojo,” she said, and asked if I had any tips. Feeling like an apprentice advising a master carpenter of words, I sent her some ideas. Pick a topic for writing removed from your personal troubles, I advised, something that you can approach without emotions gumming up the works. Be aware that stress and fatigue take a toll. Assign yourself a deadline and stick to it. Remember, I told her, that you have lots of family, friends, and colleagues who value you for your talent, your character, and your good nature.
