No matter the amount of snow that may find its way onto our roads and soon-to-be blooming gardens for the rest of the month, the reign of winter has officially reached the astronomical finish line.

At 5:24 p.m. on March 20, the Northern Hemisphere waved goodbye to the season of Winter. 

In its place, the anticipated changing of the seasonal guard ushered in the next Spring.

At the same time, our neighbors down South of the Equator entered into their Autumnal season.

No matter what, somewhere in the world, Spring is approaching slowly due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis – thankfully it is Sullivan County’s turn to see the green return to the trees and the birds sing their early morning songs once again. 

The Spring will end where Summer begins, always landing on the Summer Solstice on June 21. So until then, the time of renewal, rebirth, and revision makes the days longer and the sunshine brighter. 

Until May, the average daylight gain is roughly three minutes. 180 more seconds. 180,000 more milliseconds. At the end of the day, it is still more.

Putting it into perspective, that is three more minutes to listen to one more of your favorite songs before going to bed with each day that passes. Routine and mundane activities like brushing your teeth or taking out the trash seem to take up that much less of your daylight hours. Walking your pets could last another three minutes longer.

There is no shortage of places to be and things to do around Sullivan County that offer the beauty of the outdoors.

Or if you’re so inclined, three more minutes of extra sleep can go miles more if that’s what your body has on the schedule for that day.

Never underestimate the joy of life that can be experienced in just three extra minutes in the light of day. Live life to the fullest – that’s all we’ve got to do while under this growing extension of the light.