I saw daffodils in Central Park today. I was coming crosstown on the bus, looking at the tall buildings to the south and thinking that this isn’t such a great spring for many of their inhabitants. Stock portfolios have tanked, jobs are precarious if held at all, and there’s fear all around as we look at a nation in debt and a future in doubt.

And yet, I saw daffodils in the park today, telling me that God and nature and everything that is eternal is not giving up on New York City, or the USA, or the world in general. The daffodils are as beautiful as they were last year, or maybe more beautiful as their bright yellow hopefulness stands in sharp relief to drab, khaki fear. If they can get all dressed up in their new spring finery and celebrate this day, I can, too. We all can.  Here’s my plan:

•    Notice everything – the flowers, the sky, the interesting people on the subway
•    Laugh. No matter what, what’s funny is still funny
•    Hang out with the people I love most. They’re my true riches
•    Enjoy home and the fine art of futzing
•    Read. My own library of unread books could carry me through the next six months
•    Get together with people – the ones I enjoy, the ones I can learn from, the ones who are quirky and interesting and different from me
•    Make real food, eat it, and serve it to other people. Real food doesn’t have to cost a lot, especially with the farmers’ markets starting up
•    Explore the wonderful world of spirit – Lectures. Yoga. Journal-writing. Meditation. Church services (I’m going to play hooky from my regular church once a month and check out some of the many up here in Harlem). And walking in the park and seeing what the daffodils have to tell me.