“Mommy! Look!”

“Mommy! Look! Leaf buds!”

“Mommy! Look! There’s mud on my sneakers!”

“Mommy! Look! Crocuses!”

My daughter’s oversized reactions to subtle signs of spring draw me out of my daily doubts and stresses and into her enthusiasm. Together we exclaim over the sounds of meltwater running beneath mounds of snow, daydream seeds toward the sunlight, and poise our ears to catch the first peeps of thawed-out frogs.