This week I’ve had the great joy of starting anew, which has brought with it the chance to shake off leftover cynicism, to become Rilke’s springtime person. In a time of transition, it’s so tempting to “armor up,” as Brené Brown would say, getting ready for whatever challenges might come our way.

Truth be told, I did wear my lucky shoes.

But when it comes to that tougher armor, the kind that is built up from the bruises of time and experience, I’m trying hard to leave it at home. I’m trying to dare to say that second sentence, the one that usually remains unsaid. The one that is a little less technically polished and a little more vulnerable, a little more true.

Dear honeybees, as the earth shakes off last season’s toughness to send up new shoots, let’s do the same.

Let’s dare to be springtime people.

We must become springtime people in order to find the summer, whose greatness we must herald.

    –  Rainer Maria Rilke