Spring Is Here.

Spring is here.

The Spring Equinox took place this year on Sunday, March 20th, 2022, marking the first official day of spring. The sun rose at 7:35 AM and set around 7:44 PM, giving us about 12 hours of darkness and 12 hours of daylight, and every day since, the latter has only increased while the darkness slowly fades away. For many, this onset of more daylight and warmer weather is a period of rejuvenation, growth, and happiness. After the long, cold, and dark winter, the glow of the sun begins to make its way back into daily life as people get pumped to go outside and experience the sunshine they missed in the fall. Students grow excited in anticipation of spring break and the nearing conclusion of the school year, and parents dread the upcoming months of chaos, sweat, and mud stains. 

However, despite spring’s incredible atmosphere of growth, it remains clouded by rain, hail, and moody weather that can drive people insane. I for one hate how spring teases us with one day of warm summer weather, and then a week of 36°F rain and overcast skies. We get so excited to be outside again, and then spring’s sass gets in the way. I will say, though, that those sparse 75° days peppered throughout the horrible weather are truly incredible. They remind us of what we will have an endless supply of in just a couple months. 

Bowen Waltz ‘22 concurs that the gloomy weather is in fact horrible and “so inconsistent, one day it’s 60° out and the next it’s 40° and rain.” however, on those few days that we are treated with mild weather, “it’s nice to see the sun after months of grey.” Danny Miller ‘22 agrees, that the nicer weather, when available, is nice because it means we all get “more time to relax and hang out with our friends.” But for seniors, this spring clock also ticks us closer and closer “towards the end of our time at UDJ.” 

Seniors are doing all the things that they never thought would actually happen: making plans for the future, planning grad parties, going on their ‘last hurrah’ spring break vacations to end the year with a bang, and as it all becomes too real, the bittersweet ending creeps closer and closer. 

Regardless of senior melancholy, as the earth tilts its northern hemisphere more towards the sun, pushing us into the season of spring, life will get a bit warmer, the grass will get greener, and hopefully, with proper SPF application, our skin will get a bit tanner. Keep pushing through the gloomy days so that you can get to those summer sunsets that take your breath away. They’re only a couple weeks away, and when they get here, you’ll be glad you stuck around to see ’em. We only have a couple months left in school, so let’s spend them outside whenever possible, enjoying the nice weather, and soaking up every bit of sunshine we can.