Happenings LP: Bobby Hutcherson (1967). What spring sounds like to me.
Vase of Peonies: So indicative of this time of year. What spring looks like to me.
First-Harvest Shincha: Green tea (Kyoto, Japan). What spring tastes like to me.
An awareness of the seasons is something we all feel, even in a mild climate like San Diego. It may be more subtle than what Midwest or East Coast folks experience, but the changes are there. You see them in the light. They're in the ocean’s color and the wind’s direction. You can smell them in the air and feel it all on your skin—especially in the morning.
I love fall but I also love the transition from late spring to early summer—where we are right now. New batches of tea are being harvested. Peonies are blooming. There is a palpable sense of new possibilities—if we choose to access them.
So, I’m going to step away from my desk for a few minutes, head outside with my favorite cup, and take a few minutes to just be in the possibilities. When I do this I always feel refreshed, more present, more psyched to sit back down and get into some good work. And I'm just plain happier! It’s a ritual I use to stay connected, balanced, here. And it feels damn good.