Hey Party-Makers,

Happy First Day of Spring! Around here, we’ve been counting down to this day for a long, long, long time. And even still, the winter weather in Portland continues.

While I know there are some areas of the country that have more severe weather than Portland, I’m firmly convinced they still get more sunshine than we do. And y’all, until you live somewhere where you only see the sun every two weeks (if you’re lucky), you have no idea how much it affects you.

Thankfully, yesterday we had a beautiful, Portland spring day. Ben and I spent a good part of the afternoon riding our bikes to and from downtown. There were parts of our riding that felt like we were moving in slow motion, because the walkways in the water front were completely congested with people. That’s one thing about us Oregonians, we show up for sunshine.

It has to have been a year since we last walked along the water in Portland (at least it sure feels that way), but it is a beautiful place. The waterfront is where life happens when the weather is nice. It’s where you can get the most picturesque views of our city. The skyline, the bridges, the endless string of runners, the tents and festivals that sprawl across Tom McCall.

Once we got downtown yesterday, we walked around for a little bit and found a Moroccan food cart to snack at. I’m not sure there’s a better afternoon around than one spent strolling through the city you love—sun shining and lamb gyro in hand. It was glorious.

But today, it is grey again. And although there are signs that spring is happening around me, it’ll be another two months before the weather slowly starts to give us more sun. If you don’t believe me, just look at this weather forecast.

So how do you transition to spring when it doesn’t feel like it yet? And if it does feel like it, how do you transition well?

I have this theory.

This theory that we need multiple Januarys a year in order to reevaluate and reset. Maybe it’s that I’m stubborn or resistant to change, but I usually need some kind of event to propel me to change or form habits. I was talking to my mom the other day about Whole30 and how we didn’t do it this year, as I said that I jokingly said that if we don’t do Whole30 in January, it isn’t going to happen. It was a half joke, but a full reality of how I think about my ability to change. So this year, I’m conducting an experiment: I’m using each seasonal equinox as an opportunity to assess whether I’m growing in the directions I want to be growing into, and to make space for healthy change and self care.

Here are five ways I’m resetting for Spring:

• Buying Flowers and Plants.
  • I’m generally pretty good about keeping a good stock of flowers in the house during the summer, and I’ve realized that it has a positive effect on my energy. Keeping living things alive and beautiful makes me more likely to straighten things up around the house, and there’s something wonderful about having a consistently tidy house. I also just delight in seeing and arranging flowers. I’ve prioritized flowers and added it to our grocery budget, because I really believe it’s a form of self-care. This spring I’ve also been beefing up my stock of house plants. Although I have a remarkable talent for killing plants, I’m making a consistent effort this spring to change that. I set a reminder on my phone every two days to check the soil on my plants to make sure they are alive and healthy. I’ll keep you updated on my progress with that, but so far it’s worked, and the plants add so much beauty to the spaces they fill.
• THROWING THINGS AWAY.
  • This one takes the commitment of a long Saturday morning purge, and approximately five 30-gallon trash bags. Clean your kitchen, clean your “stuff” drawers, clean out your summer AND winter wardrobe. Clean out your pantry, your garage, your miscellaneous closets. Y’all. This one I can’t stress enough. I do this regularly because I get stir crazy, and I’m always amazed by the things I’ve managed to accumulate throughout the seasons. One of the biggest stumbling blocks to an efficient purge is when I encounter my “but this might be useful three years from now when….” thoughts. I’m gonna tell you right now, when that part of yourself starts to pipe up, SHUT IT DOWN. If you have no tangible use for something, get rid of it. I promise you won’t regret it. Goodwill will gladly take it from you. Close your eyes and let it go. Make space for peace of mind and for better things in your life. If it’s good or ehhh, you can live without it, promise.
• Picking up the Habit of Keeping a Schedule.
  • This is kind of the reason I’m calling every equinox a January. If there are habits you tried to form, but couldn’t keep up with, try again. Get back into the habit of giving yourself goals and tasks to work towards. I can’t tell you how much of my anxiety is fueled by my own inaction. I go through seasons where I am queen of my schedule, and seasons where my calendar looks blank for weeks at a time because I’m living out of chaos. There are scheduling and calendar methods for every kind of person: from the loose, spontaneous planner, to the creative, to the techie. Ben and I operate on different systems because we’re different people. I enjoy having a paper planner where I can write things down (AND CROSS THEM OFF), he likes an integrated calendar that he can use and monitor on his phone, computer, and watch. Find a way that works for you to track your time and keep yourself organized.
• Moving.
  • I’ll be the first to tell you that I pretty much go into hibernation when the rain starts again in Portland. I rebel against running, hiking, and anything that means I will be cold and rained on. We’ve been trying to keep that under control this year by going to the gym regularly and attending different classes. For me, this is less about swimsuit season, and more about being able to climb mountains in the summer without my lungs being on fire. I find joy and strength in knowing that my body is capable of pushing the limits I sometimes set for it. Give yourself the grace to not dwell on unmet physical goals for the first three months of the year, and start again. Move for the things you love. Move in anticipation of a summer filled with adventure. Move to create a lifestyle where you engage and celebrate your body by investing in it.
• Evaluating, Goal-Setting, Celebrating
  • What worked for you in the first three months of the year? What did you love doing? What would you like to grow in? What do you want to save up for? What do you want to leave behind? Take the opportunity to look at the patterns you’ve been repeating. Have the gentleness and grace to acknowledge the areas you would like to grow away from. Financial, physical, relational, spiritual—whatever those look like for you. Sit down with them, check your shame at the door, and set goals for yourself in this next season (reachable and tangible goals). Find someone to share those with; invite accountability into your life—I promise life is better lived when it’s shared. And I know y’all knew I would bring this one in: celebrate. Celebrate yourself. Celebrate your growth—both small and big. Celebrate your capacity to move forward and grow into yourself.

I hope this new season is one of adventure, self-care, and forward motion for you. We’re certainly planning on chasing after those three things this Spring.

Here’s to fresh flowers, consistent sunshine (someday), brunch-y mornings, and healthy seasons,

Mary-Beth Johnson

Mary-Beth is a creative, food-obsessed, Georgia transplant living Chicago. She is proudly and fiercely Latina, and more specifically Chapina. In her day to day she is a food educator to students around Chicagoland aged 3 to 80+, both virtually and in-person. She is passionate about cultivating the truth that every person has an understanding of food that deserves being brought to the table, and that time in the kitchen can be sacred, passionate, and an act of love for self and others. Outside the kitchen you can find her at the intersections of infertility, chronic illness, and a deep love for the dignity of all humans. She hopes to create a space that is holistic about the role of food in the social, political, relational, and physiological dynamics of our world.