Spring has sprung. That means that, in case you have not noticed, spring is in full force and summer is heading towards us like an out of control freight train. The predictions that I have heard for the summer are pretty simple: HOT! That will only be good for the bugs that survived the mild winter. It will allow them to grow much larger and make the biggest possible mark on my windshield when they sacrifice themselves. That bug remnant will, of course, be right in my line of sight. Complaints aside, I always prefer warm weather over cold and wet.
I always like to note the beginning of spring in my column. I do it mainly to remind myself that the seasons are passing, and I need to pay attention. I missed the budding of the trees this year. One day no leaves; the next day, everything is green. I will not go so far as to say I missed the pollen, but I did not acknowledge what the green dusting meant. Sometimes in life, it is easy to not pay attention to everything.
I spent a day in Fayetteville last week. The great thing about heading up north is that the seasons seem to run about two weeks behind Little Rock. That means that just about the time the changing of the leaves passes peak colors in Little Rock, they reach their peak in Fayetteville. The same is true for spring. If you miss the leaves coming out at home, head north and see it there. The way nature works is amazing.
One special spring holiday that seems to become less and less important in my life is the celebration of April Fool’s Day. Last week, the entire day passed me before I actually realized what day it was. When I was a child, I loved April Fool’s Day. When else can someone so good at making up stories have more fun? I have memories of torturing my mother and young babysitters with the tales I spun. I learned early on that the reckless celebration of this comic holiday could land you in your room if you were not careful.
This spring has brought one problem for me. I spent most of the Winter dieting and riding a stationary bicycle, and then took the week off over spring break. I worked out only a couple of times that week, and I ate like a king the entire week. The real irony is, what I really like to do when I have been able to lose weight is eat. I like to eat. In fact, I love to eat. Food is good. Somehow, when I am in the valleys of my life-long weight roller coaster, I just don’t feel as guilty eating large. The trick is to get back on the bike and out of the fridge. At least for a couple of weeks. Let’s hope I can pull it off.
While “Gluttony” is always a bad thing, there is no better time for it to occur than in the throes of spring. Take time to look upon the wonder that is spring. If you don’t look now, it will be gone tomorrow. We all know we are supposed to smell the flowers along the way; the trick is remembering to do that while they are around. That is especially true for those of us way up in the CHEAP SEATS!
Bill James is a Criminal Defense Attorney and co-founder of the James Law Firm with offices in Little Rock, Conway, and Fayetteville, Arkansas. He may be contacted at Bill@JamesFirm.com.