Don't get depressed about spring showers

"Why is it that we get depressed when it rains? We should be happy that God is watering the flowers for us," my mother said the other day.

I told her that I didn't know. I have given up seeking the answer to "Why?" Things do not happen for a reason. They just happen.

Depression is as common in our family as dandelions in spring. Most of the time it is a nuisance and we ignore it. When depression punches us in the soul so hard that we double over in pain and can no longer breathe, only then do we avail ourselves of modern medicine so that we can function.

Or at least I do. My mother just goes to bed and sleeps the blues away. The older she gets, the more she sleeps.

Even though I also find endless dreary days to be depressing I welcome this time of year. I feel awakened by the spring sunshine. I have an overwhelming compulsion to plant something - anything. Crumbling soil through my fingers makes me feel alive. A few rainy days are a small price to pay for the overwhelming joy of spring.

I feel like a kid in a candy store when I see plants for sale. There are endless possibilities for the meager amount of money I have to spare. Do I buy this blue leggy thing or should I get a flat of those perky yellow flowers? I've never seen this one before. Maybe I should take it home.

I remind myself to stay away from the periwinkle. I have some that escaped and is now trying to take over the yard. It calls to me. "You know I look wonderful in a hanging basket. Buy me. I promise I will stay where you put me," it whispers enticingly.

The soft blue blossoms are so pretty. The leaves are edged in white. It would look good in a basket ... I tear myself away and head for the vegetables.

We didn't start any seeds indoors this year. I am in search of heirloom tomatoes, red peppers, rosemary and anything I have never heard of before. I need marigolds because they are supposed to keep the bugs away.

I must have gotten some defective marigolds last year as they spent most of the summer covered with Japanese beetles. They also didn't do anything to deter the large herd of rabbits that made the backyard their own personal apartment complex and my garden their own cafeteria.

All the planting is just an excuse to be outside in the sunshine. I firmly believe that someday scientists will discover that sunshine combined with the wonderful scents of spring flora is more effective than any antidepressant ever invented. Throw in a healthy dose of playing in the dirt and it is almost impossible for the shroud of depression to cloak a soul.

Sunshine, scents, textures, temperatures, warm breezes, new life ... these are all things that make it more difficult to begrudge a few days of rain. After all, rain is life giving. Rain lets the plants grow and come alive. Without rain we would die. An added benefit is that it is much easier to pull weeds after a rain than during a dry spell.

I don't like being out in the rain any more than anyone else does. Rain is one of those things that happens and is part of the way things are. Whether we like it or not, weather will do what it wants. It will rain or snow. It will be sunny or not.

We should all enjoy the variety of weather we have in this area. A little rain makes us appreciate the sun. So why does rain bring depression? I don't have a clue. All I know is that it doesn't last forever and the sweetly scented flowers appreciate it and so should we.

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