Spring is a Time for Renewal

It is spring now, and although the winter was a mild one it is seems the right time to get out of the house and take on those nagging chores I’ve been putting off for a while.  The mailbox sits resolutely at the end of the driveway, but the post upon which it stands is termite infested and threatened to give way.  So with the sun shinning, the temperatures in the 70’s and nothing else that had to be done it was time to handle this little project.

While I was at it, the idea of just remounting the mailbox seemed somewhat inappropriate.  Here was a nice new cedar post.  How would it look with an unkempt box atop it?  So it was time to sand and repaint the box as well.

While I was digging out the old post and refreshing the mailbox with a new coat of paint I had a chance to think about the similarity of this simple task to life itself.  For example, sitting alone performing your role day in and day out can lead to a weakening of your core.  If I had given the mailbox post more attention through the years, perhaps it would not have become infected with termites.  It was Ben Franklin who said, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  In this case he was very accurate.  Although the post had served me well for ten or more years if I had taken just a few moments to sprinkle a few ounces of pest control around it every year it would not have taken all my strength to pull it from its home to make way for a new one.  We need to find time to keep our own core sold and strong as well.  For me this involves reading, writing, work, care for family and loved ones, and renewal of my beliefs.

As I painted the mailbox I thought of how our economy has become one where disposal seems the first choice.  When something becomes too old we cast it aside and replace it with something new.  I am not sure we always find that new is better.  My mailbox was solid and functional.  It had served us well for ten or more years and did not need to be replaced.  I found a couple of cans of paint brings a whole new look, and as far as I can tell the old box should serve us well for the next ten years, at a fraction of the cost of a new one.  Isn’t that really what life is like?  If we spend just a few minutes repairing things, rather than casting them aside we have what we need at a fraction the cost.  It doesn’t matter if it is a mailbox or a life, we should always look to what we can do to keep what we have and strengthen and renew it when necessary.  While this may not work all the time, I think it a good first rule.

Speaking of Spring Renewal.  If you’ve not heard of the Alcoa Eagle Cam, it is worth a quick look.  There are a nesting pair of Bald Eagles with baby eaglets.