(click on images to view them full size)

The calendar says it’s spring, but...

We often get a a little teaser of spring and this year was no different. After a particularly cold February (we hit overnight windchills of -50C) I was thrilled to experience a week of mild temperatures that got up to +15C (that’s low 60’sF). I got outside a lot and even Roxy enjoyed some springtime walks.

This is a special treat as the winters can be long for her being cooped up inside or getting the occasional car ride - believe it or not she enjoys running errands with us and even going through the car wash.

However, I’ve lived in Calgary for quite a few years and I know that April is too early to put away the snow shovel. We usually get a couple of late snowfalls in April or May before the weather really starts to warm up.

These snowfalls are usually wet and heavy precipitation and while it’s welcome (we’ve had a few dry years from a precipitation perspective), we also are wary of too much late snow and fast melts which can lead to floods like we experienced in 2013 when all of downtown Calgary was flooded.

The fact remains that the weather this close to the mountains is changeable at the best of times and especially so in the springtime.

This year is no exception. It started snowing on Wednesday March 20th - a deceptively light steady snowfall that continued right through to the end of March 24th.

A total in excess of 30 cms (more than 12”) of snow fell over the 4 days and the temperatures stayed low enough that it stuck around for a while.

Streets were snow-covered and slushy while sidewalks were very icy and slippery.

March definitely came in like a lamb and went out like a lion!

It’s not all complaining though.

There are some very good lessons to be learned when the weather turns and the situation gets stressful. For example, one morning during the snowstorm Kory needed to get to the airport and I had a short turnaround time to get from the airport to my strength training class. The road conditions were not great and traffic was heavy due to an early rush hour and I could feel myself getting tense watching the time leak away.

Kory sensed my tension and tried to help out by suggesting options for a different route to my class, but more data was not very helpful at that moment. Daniel Seigel in his book The Whole Brained Child, notes that when someone is in a heightened emotional state (no longer fully in their front cortex/logical thinking brain) that this is not a good time to approach them with logic or data. It’s best to connect on an emotional level before reconnecting with logic.

(my paraphrasing of a long passage) “Connect and redirect - surfing emotional waves. (when someone is) experiencing big waves of right-brain emotions without much left-brain logic balance…one of the least effective things to do is jump in and argue the faulty logic.” - Daniel Seigel and Tina Payne Bryson - The Whole Brained Child

It was however a good trigger for me to remember to slow down my thoughts and evaluate the situation. Kory was going away for a week and did I want to spend the time worrying about an outcome that I couldn’t control, or did I want to be present and let go of the expectation of getting to my class on time. A couple of deep cleansing breaths and I felt my shoulders relax and I was able to reconnect with Kory.

Such a simple example of using mindfulness to get out of my future state mindset and remain grounded in the present. We had a good visit for the rest of the drive and I actually made it to my class on time. I’m certainly glad I didn’t waste the opportunity to connect with Kory.

Sometimes you really do need to just shake it off!

Flexibility and resiliency are the key

As I reflected on the drive to the airport and the drive to my workout, I recognized that increasing my mental flexibility and resiliency has been beneficial to me in a number of ways. I have been spending less time with tense muscles trying to control situations that are out of my control, I’ve been more present and in the moment, and I have been getting out of my left brain which allows my creativity to flourish.

Yes you guessed it - my photography funk seems to be lifting and the first sparks of spontaneous inspiration came with this late spring snowfall (you knew I was going to find a way to circle back didn’t you?). I was looking out the window and I saw the most interesting pattern from the snow falling on our swing frame. I started to see shadows and shapes and my fingers were itching to get hold of my camera (always a good sign).

After I finished my tasks for the day, I bundled up and took my camera out to the back yard to capture what I’d seen through the window. It’s no amazing image, however it marks a shift in my mental state.

Only the beginning.

What’s even better is those first photos led me to wander around the front yard and practice an exposure compensation exercise - a technical challenge I had set for a photography group I am part of. I just kept seeing things all over that I wanted to photograph (trust me this hasn’t been happening for the last couple of months).

I then headed out for a walk to a nearby spot frequented by birds year round. The snow was all fluffy and pristine with a wonderful lushness in the air.

Someone had put out some new feeders as well as bird seed and nuts on the fence posts.

I stopped for a moment and immediately noticed activity as a downy woodpecker came to peck at the suet feeder. A curious squirrel then pranced along the fence and started chirping at me - presumably to warn me away from “his” food store.

I found a secluded location and tucked myself in about 6’ away from the feeders and I waited.

Before long red breasted nuthatches and black capped chickadees were enjoying the bounty at the feeders.

I happily snapped away as I isolated my subjects and composed them in a way to accentuate their activities.

The nuthatches kept coming back for more seeds and nuts to fly away to nearby trees and secret their food stash in crevices in the bark.

Presumably storing this away for leaner times.

I must have been very still for a long period of time because suddenly I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye and it was a Northern Flicker landing to peck at the nuts on the fence post.

They do not usually land so close and it was a delight to be able to study his colouring and markings up close as he dined on the nuts.

The silver lining to this late spring snowfall

It has felt like a long dry spell in my photography, but more than that I have felt distracted and not as calm as I do when I am able to get out several times a week with my camera. I have come to really understand and appreciate the importance of my time being creative and slowing down to practice mindful photography.

Are you experiencing any seasonal transitions right now? Are there any practices that you have to celebrate these transitions or are there any things that you need to reprioritize back into your routine? I’d love to hear about it in the comments or contact me directly by clicking on the Connect With Me button.

I hope you’ll come back soon, share a cuppa, relax and enjoy more of my musings.