OPINION: Spring is in the air

By Elizabeth Ednie

Spring is finally here. The days are longer, the air is getting warmer, and flowers are starting to bud everywhere you turn. It’s nice enough to open the sunroof, go for a walk wearing a t-shirt, and sit outside to do classes (online of course). Springtime signifies new beginnings and a fresh start, which we so desperately need right now. Personally, I enjoy springtime because it means that the cold, dreary days are behind us, and warmer weather is quickly approaching with summer right around the corner.

It’s common for a lot of people to self-diagnose themselves with seasonal depression, which is a real thing that many people experience - including myself. I find that with the weather we’ve been having, my mood has been on an upward climb. I’m so much happier when the sun is shining, I can feel the warmth on my skin, and the sun sets at 7 p.m. rather than 4 p.m. It’s crazy how much the weather and environment can impact your daily mood and determine your level of happiness.

Taking classes remotely, I’ve been feeling really stuck in the same weekly routine, which has its pros and cons. I don’t know what it is about this year, maybe because I’ve been home on Cape Cod since December, or because we haven’t had a break, but I am feeling really done with this school year. The weather changing makes me want to close my laptop and just be outside all day enjoying my little island before it becomes jam packed with tourists and summer people for the next few months. This year has been really tough on everyone, and knowing that last summer was only a few months into the pandemic, I am preparing myself for a hard summer with more Cape Cod visitors than ever before. I get it: people need to get away and go on vacation, but in the back of my head I have a feeling this summer is going to be really overwhelming for year-rounders.

The end of the semester is near; we can do it. With no significant breaks and a few “mental health reading days” scattered about, we are all so tired and mentally drained from the abnormality we have been experiencing for over a year. But that shouldn’t deter us from enjoying the slow pace of life right now and soaking in the change in scenery in New England. We don’t have much going on, so take some time and go explore new places around us - safely of course. We want to have stories to tell our children and grandchildren one day, right? So go make some memories that you’ll remember forever.