Bluebirds, the Spring Equinox, and Cardi B

Mar 20

Finding joy isn't frivolous when the world feels heavy. Learn why joy is a resource that helps you keep showing up, especially during difficult times.

Since the beginning of 2026, I've been reading a passage from Margaret Renkl's book The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year on Fridays as part of my morning ritual. It's a lovely little devotional and ode to the natural world. I feel like it places me in time with the season, and it's like she took Mary Oliver's instruction to "Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it" to heart and turned it into a book.

A recent chapter felt so timely, not only for the season, but for where we are in our experience of humanity and (at the time of the reading) with spring right around the corner.

Here is an excerpted passage:

We are creatures built for joy…This is who we are. The very best of who we are. The world is burning, and there is no time to put down the water buckets. For just an hour, put down the water buckets anyway. Take your cue from the bluebirds, who have no faith in the future but who build the future nevertheless, leaf by leaf and straw by straw, shaping them up into the roundness of the world.

Turn your face up to the sky. Listen. The world is trembling into possibility. The world is reminding us that this is what the world does best. New life. Rebirth. The greenness that rises out of the ashes.

Reading this felt like it spoke directly to my core, and I could feel the potential upswelling of new life in her words.

Joy as Resource, Not Bypass

Finding joy despite and in the midst of #thehorrors has long been a passion of mine. Not as a bypass, but as a method of resourcing that helps you keep moving forward, to have the inner reserves to show up and help in the way you are uniquely wired.

This is why it felt like absolute synchronicity that the same weekend I read this passage, I had just started a free trial of an adult hip hop dance workout class.

One thing about me is that I loooooove rap and hip hop. Dancing to it, listening to it too loudly in the car, all of it. It brings my elder millennial heart joy and is a portkey (Harry Potter reference for your millennial bingo card) to those inner feelings of decades past.

90s hip hop is the gold standard, and then there are songs that are truly just Not Good (I apologize, Lil Jon and Ying Yang Twins) but they feel deeply nostalgic and so are still great fun.

As a sidenote, I recently saw a video about aural nostalgia and the great feelings it can bring, which is a bonus.

So finding myself on an absolute endorphin high in my living room after an hour of trying to coordinate stomp claps to T-Pain, Pitbull, Flo Rida and Cardi B felt like a new possibility unlocked.

My personal battery now charged to a 100 out of 10, I felt alive, energized, joyful!

My first and long-time love, yoga, helps my body feel calm which is invaluable. But this felt vitalizing in a new way.

The Spring Equinox Invitation

Today is the spring equinox. The moment when the light catches back up to the darkness and will tip the balance from here out. It's the first day of the season of rebirth and renewal, the first day of Aries season which is a season of initiating and taking action, the astrological new year.

Here are some questions for you as we move into this time of renewed light and new beginnings:

Is there space for moments of tapping into joy as a resource for you these days? Not only as a resource but as a return to who you really are?
What can you set your bucket of water down for an hour to do?
Are there younger versions of you who are full of life and vitality that you can tap into through music (aural nostalgia), movement, games?
Is there a new beginning in your routine that could shake things up in a positive way for you?

We are creatures built for joy. This is who we are. The very best of who we are.

The world needs you to keep showing up with your water buckets. And the world also needs you to remember that joy isn't frivolous or indulgent. It's what keeps you resourced enough to keep showing up.

Put down the water buckets. For just an hour. Dance. Listen to the music that makes your heart sing. Turn your face up to the sky.

The world is trembling into possibility.

And if you need permission to blast "Country Grammar" in your living room and dance like nobody's watching, consider this it. Your younger parts remember how good it feels to move just for the joy of it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it selfish to seek joy when the world feels heavy?

No. Joy isn't frivolous or indulgent. It's a resource that helps you keep showing up. As Margaret Renkl writes, "The world is burning, and there is no time to put down the water buckets. For just an hour, put down the water buckets anyway." Finding joy doesn't mean ignoring suffering; it means resourcing yourself so you have the inner reserves to continue showing up in the way you're uniquely wired to help.

What does "joy as resource, not bypass" mean?

Joy as resource means using moments of pleasure, vitality, and aliveness to replenish your inner reserves so you can continue doing difficult things. Joy as bypass would be using pleasure to avoid or deny painful realities. The difference is intention: resourcing acknowledges the hard stuff while intentionally creating space for what nourishes you. You're not pretending the things that are hard aren’t. Instead, you're making sure you have enough energy to keep “carrying water.”

How can I connect with younger parts through joy?

Aural nostalgia (music from your past), movement, games, and activities that brought you joy as a younger person can help you access those vital, alive parts of yourself. Try listening to music from significant times in your life, dancing without worrying about doing it "right," or engaging in play. These younger parts often hold energy, creativity, and aliveness that can resource you now.

What is the spring equinox and why does it matter?

The spring equinox is the moment when day and night are equal in length, and from this point forward, the light begins to outweigh the darkness. It marks the first day of spring, the season of rebirth and renewal. Astrologically, it's the beginning of Aries season, which is a time of initiation, action, and new beginnings. It's often called the astrological new year, making it a powerful time to plant seeds for what you want to grow.

What if I don't have time for joy right now?

This is exactly when you most need it. Margaret Renkl's passage specifically speaks to this: even when there's no time, put down the water buckets anyway. Just for an hour. That hour of resourcing might be exactly what allows you to keep going the rest of the week. And it doesn’t even have to be an hour. Just a few minutes or moments wherever you can sneak it in can make a difference.

About the Author: Elizabeth Scott, LCPC is a licensed therapist specializing in Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy. She helps emotionally intelligent, spiritually curious women reconnect with their inner wisdom through individual therapy and through Practical Alchemy, a transformative 3-month coaching program that integrates IFS with intuitive modalities like astrology and reiki.