Whoo-hoo!! Spring is HERE!!

by Stacey Anter

Later this week, something for which we’ve all been waiting will arrive…..SPRING!!! The first day of spring comes on March 20th along with Snowman Burning Day, which I’m sure we’ve all wanted to do. Just like the New Year is a time for new beginnings, spring is a time for renewal and for prosperity, growth and beauty. The oranges and browns of Fall and the whites of Winter make way for the bright colors of Spring, announcing a rebirth of sorts.  Grass turns green again, flowers bloom again, gardeners garden again. If you haven’t had a chance to visit the Coventry Library for one of our Master Gardener programs, try to stop by to get in the mood for spring. On March 27th, Gail Tatangelo will be giving a workshop on growing tomatoes; and on April 3rd, she will present a workshop on growing seeds inside.  

Actually, quite a few other things happen on March 20th as well. I’ve already mentioned Snowman Burning Day, but there’s also Proposal Day, Kiss Your Fiancé Day, Absolutely Incredible Kid Day, and my personal favorite: Won’t You Be My Neighbor Day in honor of Fred Rogers’ birthday. I remember watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood when I was a kid. He was such a gentle soul and he knew so much about teaching children.  Did you know that his show ran for 33 years? Amazing!  He was always a happy and positive person.

And speaking of “happy”, this is Act Happy Week. ActHappy.com asks, “Why are professional actors in happy parts, healthier?” and it proposes that if you act happy, even when you’re not, you end up with a more positive outlook and are healthier it. Visit Dr. Dale Anderson at http://acthappy.com/ to find out more. This website also goes with Wellderly Week, which celebrates and recognizes senior citizens who never act their age. Some books to check out are: Happiness is a Habit by Michele Phillips; Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman; The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama; The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People by David Niven.

Age is something that we all feel creeping up on us when our birthday rolls around. Especially when we are forgetting things like where we put our keys, or why we were entering a room in the first place, or the name of an old classmate we haven’t seen in years. Well, March 21st is Memory Day, if I recall. So use that mind/body health connection when acting happy for your memory too. Memory Loss affects us all to some degree (young and old). There are some books to help teach you some exercises and tricks to strengthen your memory. Here are a few: Your Best Brain Ever by Michael Sweeney; Max Your Memory by Pascale Michelon; A Sheep Falls Out of a Tree by Christiane Stenger; Super charge Your Memory by Corinne Gediman; and Memory!: How to Remember Anything by Paul Mellor.  One of my favorite movies is Desk Set starring Katherine Hepburn as a librarian with, I think, an amazing memory, who feels threatened by the arrival of a super-computer. She can rattle off the answer to anything you ask most of the time, much like a computer. Boy, I wish I had her memory! If you saw that movie, you’d say the same thing.. So, don’t forget Memory Day!

Here’s a perfect way to end the week: Saturday, March 22nd is National Goof Off Day, so take some time to goof off and enjoy yourself that day. Do something you’ve always wanted to do….or do nothing at all. Watch a movie. Read a book. Play a game on the computer or chat on Facebook or Twitter.  And on that happy note, I’m going to goof off…(Now, what should I do???)

I call myself the Library Detective because I can find the answers to any question you can think of, or at least I can point you in the right direction.  To find out more about spring/gardening, happiness, memory, or for ways to goof off, visit your local library; there are more Library Detectives there, too.