Living in the Midwest, Ostara comes for us at one of those "in between" times. It falls in between the frigid cold of winter and the scorching, oppressive heat of summer. It's the calm both before and after the storm. But it is also a real blah time of year. The weather is often still downright chilly, and snow is still quite a possibility. (In recent years we have started to see an increase of thundersnows–a bizarre storm combining thunder and snow!) It can also be very rainy, muddy, and icky to look at. The trees are bare, the grass is brown, and if there is still snow around it is often dirty and just plain ugly. Trash that blew about in the winter litters the sides of roads and open fields. Many people have spent a lot of time indoors, and that cooped up cabin fever feeling gets to be overwhelming. Some people find this time of the year to be the most depressing. Emotions and feelings may be out of balance.

Sometimes it can be hard to look past this big picture and see the smaller signs of life that are bursting forth. The crocuses, snow drops, and daffodils are out by now. The birds are returning to the area. If you pay real close attention you can tell that the grass changes color on a daily basis, getting closer and closer to the lush green of Midsummer. Life is renewing itself. It is starting over. It's time to get out and stretch your wings and fly. Let the sun shine on your face and awaken your spirit to the possibilities around you. Bring your emotions back into balance and add some positivity and joy to your life.

While it is often the simple things that get us through life and help us to change our perspective, it is also true that the simple things are really easy to forget. We forget to play. We forget to be happy. We forget to love. What's more, we often don't even realize that we forget to do these things! We wake up each day and go through out routines, go through the motions, but how often do we actually stop and think about what it is we are doing?

Use this Ostara, this time of new beginnings, growth, and new life, to refresh and rejuvenate your own life. Let a new life be born from you and work on letting yourself be truly happy, and help those around you be happy too. Wake up and shake off your routine. Do things different than you normally do. Do something totally unexpected, something that is totally out of character for you. Liven up your life by shaking it up some. Break bad habits. Start good habits. Create a bucket list. Make out your will, plan your final arrangements, and then put it behind you. While you wait for the sun to grow to its full strength, spread some sunshine of your own.

Use these ideas to help get you off on the right path to start your journey to a brighter life.

• Walk barefoot through dew covered grass.
• Hug a tree.
• Volunteer at an animal shelter.
• Pick up trash on the side of the road.
• Put out a bird feeder–and keep it filled.
• Instead of throwing food scraps into the garbage, either compost them or set them out in a special area for the local wildlife to eat. (They're just going to take it out of your trash anyway–save them the hassle and you the mess.)
• Buy a coloring book and crayons. Use them.
• Blow bubbles.
• Fingerpaint.
• At your next family gathering or party, play kick the can.
• Let someone cut in line at the grocery store.
• Splash in a rain puddle.
• Send someone a "thinking of you" card.
• Pay a compliment to a stranger.
• Wake up before dawn and watch the sun rise. Really watch it.
• Invite friends over for a pie eating contest.
• Visit a petting zoo.
• Buy flowers and pass them out to people you don't know.
• Make your own butter.
• Read to someone in the hospital.
• Listen to elderly person talk about their life. Help them write their story down.
• Become a vegetarian–at least for a few days a week.
• At the same time every day for a week, stop whatever you are doing and do tree pose for a few minutes. Ask people to join you.
• Adopt a pet.
• Being thankful isn't just for November. Think of three things every day you are thankful for. Keep a running list.
• When you want to complain about something, bite your tongue.
• Be patient.
• Set up a carpool for errands or going to work.
• Join a food co-op.
• Visit an arboretum or botanical garden.
• Listen to the wind.
• Don't underestimate yourself. Tell yourself you can do whatever it is you want to do. And then do it.
• Do a crossword puzzle.
• Research your ancestors.
• Paint a picture on canvas.
• Reward yourself for being happy. It will make you even happier.
• Make a list of goals for the next six months. Work towards achieving them and celebrate when you accomplish one.
• Pass out scratch-off lottery tickets to your friends.
• By a word-a-day calendar. Use it.
• Show appreciation for others. A simple, yet heartfelt, thank you goes a long way.
• Learn about a foreign country.
• Make an emergency supply stash, in your home and car. Know that if something comes up, you will be in good hands–your own!
• Learn to say, "No." But also know when to say, "Yes."
• Know when to bite your tongue and when to bare your soul.
• Switch from coffee to tea.
• Go play at an arcade.
• Sing.
• Get a massage.
• Give a massage.
• Learn a dance step, or two.
• Learn to live.

Some of these ideas you may have no interest in, but even those that you don't care for might help you come up with some ideas of things you would like to do. Use your imagination. Brainstorm. Use your friends' imaginations and brainstorm with them. Come up with ideas you can do together, but ones that are just for yourself as well. Take time for yourself. Take time to not only to appreciate the world around you, but to appreciate yourself as well. We often get so caught up in everyone else's life that we forget to take care of ourselves. There has to be a balance, as is pointed out to us so well at this time of year. The balance between caring for ourselves and caring for others is what brings us to being the best person that we can be.