Spring in Austria has been lovely and inviting and in no hurry for anything – our winter clothes need to be handy still for the weeks like this one where we have clouds and cold and drizzle and are lucky to make it to 50 degrees. But every so often, the sunshine peeks out for a few days and hope springs new and 70 degrees comes tantalizingly closer. So many of my favorite flowers are here and it’s surprisingly nostalgic. Snowdrops and crocus, cheerful daffodils and tulips, lots of forsythia and cherry trees, and eventually so many violets and daisies and dandelions in our yard to keep my kitchen table supplied with daily bouquets from my two very happy little flower-gatherers. And what has warmed my heart the most are the lilacs! Lilacs are my all time favorite flower, and remind me of my childhood in the Pacific Northwest.
Like in the Northwest, we are getting used to what it means to live farther north again. The birds are enthusiastically singing with the first light at 5am and even now, its not really dark until 9pm – and we haven’t even gotten to summer yet! Right now, we are thankful spring is taking its sweet time though, because with no air conditioning, we hear July and August are interesting.
Speaking of birds, we are slowly identifying the avian visitors to our backyard feeders. So many species are similar, but subtly different than their North American counterparts. My favorite so far is the Eurasian blackbird. Related to the American robin, it is a jet black thrush with red eye ring and bill, and has a very sweet, melodically varied song. The males perch themselves in prominent spots throughout our neighborhood to musically proclaim their territory claims, and will be singing until sunset on some days. The European robin is a beautiful little bird as well, and we’ve enjoyed a few sightings. We have a nesting pair of Eurasian collared doves in our backyard, as well as a pair of great tits (which we called Austrian chickadees for a long time until we figured out what they actually were). Instead of American crows, rooks and hooded crows are the big boys of the suburbs.
Yes, I miss the dogwoods and redbuds, the cardinals and bluebirds, and the wildflowers of the Smoky Mountains, and have to fight the temptation to miss much more, but there is so much beauty here, if you take the time to see it and appreciate it. No matter where you live, it’s very easy to miss out on what’s wonderful and unique around you when all you can think about is the wonderful, comfortable “known” that you’ve left behind you. I believe you have to let go of the past before you can fully appreciate your present. And someday, you will probably be tempted to look back on this present with rose colored glasses again and miss the comfortable past that now is is your new and maybe unsettled. Those glasses are fun to put on, but honestly they distort reality. And I believe they put blinders on your ability to grow in the moment. And if you have them on for the rest of your life, you will never have fully enjoyed your own journey.
So, can we just lay those rose colored glasses by for good? Take them off and look around you. Be amazed. Your life is here, right now. What a privilege to be living and breathing and experiencing every day! Make a list of blessings. They will grow, because you see what you focus on.
PS: Also, try something new! It might be pretty awesome – like pumpkin seed oil gelato!
Vienna Vignettes 