Some of us love warm weather, especially wearing shorts, t-shirts or tank tops, and flip-flops. There’s no need for jackets. We can go to the beach, enjoy cookouts, go for bike rides after dinner, sit outside, leave the windows open (until we need the air conditioning), play golf or tennis, sit outside at our favorite restaurant, and generally enjoy ourselves.
Some of us love cool or cold weather – baking, the pleasant smells wafting through the house, the brisk air, snow and the fun that can bring, wearing sweaters, boots, and the great winter clothing we have saved for this time of year, and the holidays that we enjoy during the fall and winter months.
Nevertheless, as much fun as the summer can be, as pleasant as the winter is (for those of us who enjoy it), and as beautiful as the fall is with its array of beautiful leaves, the harvest, and cooler temperatures, nothing beats the spring for optimism and excitement.
Fortunately, we are are in the midst of spring – no matter how we measure it, and there are so many indicators of when spring arrives or is getting close. We have the time change, the start of baseball season, and Easter (whether we celebrate it or not). We have the last snowfall. Of course, there are other measures as well such as the trees turning green and the flowers blooming, but all of them signal a time to move out of the wintertime where we spend so much time indoors with the windows closed and the heat on and into a lighter time of year with the windows open allowing the warmer temperatures and pleasant breezes to fill the home.
Of course, this also turns our focus into cleaning out some of the accumulated items from the winter and previous seasons – an annual event (though non-specific as to its exact timing and duration) known as “spring cleaning.” This gives us (and our clients) a chance to evaluate what we have and to discard what is no longer needed in our lives (actually toss, sell at garage sales or online, or donate to someone we know can use it or to a charity thrift store).
It gives us a chance to evaluate our homes – having just come through the winter – and to note items that need repaired, mended, or fixed before wintertime arrives again. Additionally, there are going to be items that we want to address before the summertime gets here. All of this makes for do-it-yourself remodeling projects and the ones that require the services of professionals.
Those of us who provide remodeling and renovation services should be well-positioned to undertake the work that has been put off over the winter months, that recently identified as being necessary, and those items that need to be done before the next cold season.
Let’s use the feeling of renewal and freshness that springtime brings to help our own homes and those of our clients to get ready for more outdoor activities and the balance of the year. Springtime brings a lot of optimism about the future, and we can use this to help those we serve.