Expand Magazine - Volume 6 Issue 2

EXPAND | BE MORE /10
The Dark
BEFORE
The Rebirth
By Megan Fuhrman-Wheeler
T
he first blade of green grass, the
first robin you hear, and the first day
you step outside without your coat; it is
the feeling that you have made it. You made
it through another winter. We may not experience
the fear of starvation our ancestors experienced
every winter; however, the mental struggle one
goes through with shorter days and isolation from
friends and family triggers an effect on us just as it
did on our ancestors.
Our daily life is often defined by our relationships
and rituals. These relationships and rituals are
intertwined with the cycles of nature. Summer
activities and rituals are much different from Winter,
Fall, or Spring. It is important to see the connection
between the seasons and our relationship to these
cycles so that we may appreciate the physical state
we are currently in.
Early springtime, for me personally, is the most
difficult season of the year. I find myself isolating
from my important relationships, sleeping too much,
seeking any type of warmth I can find (which is
typically heavy, fatty foods) and slipping into a bit
of a seasonal melancholy. I begin to feel apathetic
about myself and my relationships, and I experience
an increasing anxiousness for warmer weather to set
in.
In these slower and darker days, it is easy to become
critical of oneself. It is easy to say, “I won’t let myself
fall back into that dismal, depressed, and lethargic
pattern again this year.” It is equally easy to bypass
the experience and move on without thinking much
about it. However, when I consider my relationships
and rituals during this time, and how they relate
to nature and land, it is understandable that I may
become internal and self-reflective.
During early spring in the Midwest, we have been
experiencing colder weather and shorter days
for going on six months. During this time we have
watched our surrounding land and nature slip into