I noticed the tiniest hints of spring this weekend. Nothing super dramatic. Just a few hints of color pushing through the cold ground, as the sunlight begins to linger a bit longer in the evenings. It’s the kind of signs you only notice when you’re looking closely, eagerly anticipating the coming change of seasons.
As I was noticing those details, it struck me how freeing it feels to see those small signs return. Not because everything is suddenly bright and blooming, but because the dead-looking parts are slowly and quietly fading.
It made me think about how often life feels like winter. Not the cozy, blanket-and-cocoa kind, but the “everything looks dull and stuck, and I’m not sure anything is happening” kind. The kind where you wonder if you’re growing at all or if you’re just… here… waiting.
But then it happens! Spring shows up with its tiny reminders:
- Growth doesn’t have to be loud to be real.
- Change usually starts underneath.
- Life returns in small, almost forgettable ways before it bursts into color.
And honestly? That feels like permission.
Permission to grow slowly.
Permission to not have everything figured out yet.
Permission to let old things fade without rushing the new.
Permission to trust that change can come, even if you can’t see it clearly.
The garden doesn’t apologize for looking dead for a while. It doesn’t panic when nothing seems to be happening on the surface. It just keeps doing the quiet work beneath the soil until the season turns.
Maybe we’re allowed to do the same.
So if you’re in a winter season—emotionally, mentally, spiritually, creatively—maybe the tiny signs matter more than you think. A little spark of energy. A new idea. A moment of clarity. A breath that feels lighter than yesterday.
Those are spring, too.
And they count.
Straight Outta My Mind 