Rebirth, Renewal, Reset

Katie took the lead, and we dutifully marched behind her on the red trail. She held the map out in front of her and looked closely for red squares painted to the trees of the Watchung Reservation. My mom carried the water, my dad held the puppy’s leash, and I balanced the 5-year-old on my shoulders.

It was just a little half-mile trail through the woods, and there was some mud to maneuver around. But we were ready and willing to go wherever Katie led us. Our reason was simple: There’s this orb, known to many as “the sun,” and it had finally returned from hibernation to shine gloriously on us in the clear blue sky. On top of that, the thermometer told us it was 70 degrees. Indeed, all was good with the world.

Spring is a time for starting over – or, as our president might say, hitting the “reset button.” But we’re not talking here about resetting a domestic agenda, or a relationship with Russia. Spring is about hitting “reset” on life. Just a few days ago, another torrent had turned our yard into a small pond. Many of us were cursing the alleged spring that was supposed to have arrived. The heavy snows of February had turned into the furious rains of March, and I dared to wonder what April might have in store.

We’re just a couple of days in, but the month known for its showers has started off quite auspiciously. And when spring arrives in all its glory, with the tulips and the buds on the trees and the robins flying from here to there, everything changes. These are the days when you just forget all about the shoveling and the ice scrapers and the sump pumps. You can’t even bring yourself to think about the difficult weather days you’ve had.

You just want to go for a walk, and follow your kid along the red trail. No need to reflect on what has been. Spring is all about looking forward, with rose-colored optimism all the way. Might February let us down again next year? Absolutely possible. Will March get all angry on us again? Wouldn’t surprise me.

But right now, as the birds chirp and – Katie, look up from your map! – a half-dozen deer trot gracefully in front of us, our thoughts turn toward rebirth, possibilities, and hope.

Thirty teams, all of them tied for first place. That’s the way April opens for baseball teams. Some 750 players, all of them equally capable of making the All-Star game right now. Last year’s triumphs and struggles are chronicled on newsprint that’s already been recycled. It’s a new day.

In Phoenix, the Arizona Diamondbacks have a young centerfielder named Chris Young. At age 26, Young is beginning his fourth season in 2010, and it’s also the fourth year in which baseball experts have marveled over his talents. The only problem is, in each of his first three seasons Young has struggled mightily as a hitter. He’ll hit a towering home run one day, then strike out three times the next. Will Young ever find a way to put his power and speed together and dominate the game like so many believe he can?

It’s hard to say. But one thing is clear on this pristine April day – Chris Young, as well as the rest of us, have hit that reset button. We’re spring cleaning, and that includes bad memories as well. Anything’s possible. Just take us along the trail, Katie, and let the flowers bloom.