On Seasonal Changes

For the past few days I have finally begun to realize that spring has indeed sprung. There was a warm (ish) rain the other night. Snow is mostly gone and things are beginning to turn green. But the biggest change is the smell. The air is just different. It's a myriad of different and subtle changes. The air is more humid, more filled with decay that has been prevented by the cold of winter. It's warmer and easier to breath. All in all it just signals spring to those basic parts of my brain.

What really is of interest though is how the seasonal change around me affects my inner workings. I've noticed a definite shift the way in which my perceptions are shaded. Winter is cold and harsh and it means we spend a lot (ok almost all) our time inside. There is a very clear distinction between outside and inside that is marked by the walls and windows. Nature is nice and all , but you can't easily go outside in the winter. It takes preparation you have to put on coats and boots and hats. Whereas in Spring and Summer walls are less needed and windows are more likely to be opened. You can just walk outside at any time.

The seasons, in my case at least, affect the way I think and react. In wintertime there is a lot more intense focus on social interaction and people because that is all there is to do in some senses. Secondly activities tend to be a lot more structured and organized. You can't just get together and go somewhere with people because it's cold! Walking is harder, days are shorter and things are covered in snow! Now this isn't a bad thing, because sometime you do need to organize stuff. Winter also leads to a lot talking and less doing, again not a bad thing. On the other hand I prefer a more spontaneous course of action. Sometimes it’s fun to just decide to go on an adventure.

During the spring and summer I feel much more relaxed and extroverted. Everything feels more... centred. My thoughts tend towards being more complicated and philosophical, polar opposite of my winter time thinking. During the winter everything is more drawn in and less concrete. In the winter everything is a lot less intense, but at the same time more intense. It’s hard to explain, but I think it has to do with their being less sensory perception during winter especially smell. This is caused by the sub-zero temperatures preventing decay and the annual colds that reduce our nasal passages to storage tanks for mucus.

All in all I'm really quite glad that it's spring time. I think it's my favourite time of year

See also The Four Seasons by Vivaldi