The first offerings of spring

I went into the forest for a Sunday walk today and although the trees are still without leaves the first buds and wood anemones were greeting me alongside the path.

This forest is known for its huge amount of corydalis blossoming in spring season and other early flowers along the winding paths.

I love to go there in early spring to collect wild garlic which you can find there covering the forest floor like a green carpet.

I had to stop so often to take in the whole scenery, the first new green, the fresh white of the anemones and the scent of wild garlic.

It filled my heart with joy, the play of light and shadow from the sun rays that become stronger as we go further into spring and the first green leaves of wild garlic that I could take home, the first harvest of the year, the first offerings of spring.

These are moments of bliss especially after a long dark and cold winter. It’s the gratitude for nature, for its beauty and what it has to offer us.

A gift from Mother Nature, given freely and unconditionally, full of healthy and protective ingredients.

These are moments of slow living, taking in deep breaths of spring air, connecting to nature and its season, the new life that is emerging, the colour green that is a sign of hope, taking the time to observe all the details that you wouldn’t recognise when you rush through life.

Now I take the wild garlic home and cook a soup with it, to taste the first offerings of spring, to taste a day in the forest, the new beginning, a moment of bliss.