In turning the calendar page a few days ago I realized something– March is perhaps the most unappreciated of months.
Think about it.
We like April because the robins show up, & May because the flowers bloom.
We like June, July & August because they’re, well, June, July, & August.
September’s back-to-school, October has fall colors, November hunting season,
December the holidays, and January and February usually–usually–let us ski & snowshoe and snowmobile.
But not March.
March in the UP is when the snow starts to melt but before everything greens up. It’s after the winter events are over, but before the summer activities begin. March is just… there.
But maybe that’s March’s saving grace.
March is the month of possibilities…the month when it’s possible we may have our first 70 degree day of the year, or it’s possible that this may be the year–finally–that the Tigers are good again.
I mean, sure, that possibility goes by the wayside when baseball season actually starts, but in March, anything is possible.
That feeling of possibility shows up in the events that we do have this month–builders shows, garden shows, and sport & RV shows. March shows us the possibilities of the summer yet to come, and the fun we hope to have.
For one or two lucky UP high school basketball teams, March shows us the possibilities of a deep run into the playoffs. Or, if you’re like Munising last year, even the possibility of a state championship.
Finally, March gives us those three magical days in a row–The Ides, St. Urho’s Day, and St. Patrick’s Day. If you live in the UP, the possibilities are that you may be celebrating one, if not all.
And if you live in the UP, the possibilities are that you may be hung over after celebrating one, if not all of them. Don’t worry; we’re not judging. That’s just another one of the possibilities of March.
So while March may not have the glitz of the holidays or the sheer beauty of summer, it might be the one of the few months that lets us sit back and dream of possibilities.
I’m Jim Koski, and that’s another slice of “Life in the 906.”
