March Madness

{Julius Caesar} "The Ides of March have come."
{The Seer} "Ay, they have come, but they are not gone."

"Beware the Ides of March."  Shakespeare illuminated Caesar's fate, with this foreboding statement.  We all know how it ends - Caesar betrayed, stabbed, left to die.  And the words, "Et tu, Brute?" twist the knife even deeper.  And you, Brutus?  Even you?

March is the time - in like a lion, out like a lamb - or, so it goes.  If we're lucky, the month gets peppered with occasional warm, sunny days - teasers - wetting our appetites for Spring.  The remnants of winter remain - the last minute snows, the relentless rain, the deadly morning frosts.  They mock us, like the Ides of March.  Beware:  They've come, but they have not yet gone.

And why is it that winter seems to plague us?  And even those of us only mildly affected by the cold perk up at the first signs of springtime?  The first 70 plus degree day, and everyone is riding around with their tops down, walking their dogs, baring their white legs, soaking it all up like lizards, sunning themselves on  the rocks.

Something about this time of year is inspiring to the masses.  Be it religious beliefs, changes in climate, or positive effects on brain chemistry - Spring - even glimpses of Spring - represent rebirth.  New life surfaces everywhere - naturally, physically, emotionally.  We all start stirring, as if we were wakened from months of hibernation.  And yet, all Winter long, we go through the motions.  It's not as if we've really been sleeping.  We have the holiday season, the snow removal, sporting events.  Winter isn't dead and barren.  Why this collective gasp for air?  Why do we cling to Spring?

All I can say, is it feels good.  The first sign of Spring shows up like a ray of hope.  The first warm day, like a pat on the back - a reward, for all we've endured.  Spring is a promise of better days to come, and whether March is just a tease, or gives birth to the season, it somehow mothers us all.  We're seduced by the Ides of March, for all they represent.  One warm day, and we forget about the lion - We embrace the lamb.  One sign of Spring, and we're blinded by hope.  We ignore the Seer's warning, and fall prey to the madness.  Et tu, March?  Even you?

-- L.