Spring Fever

I Have Spring Fever.

My office has a window. Outside right now I see blooming tulips, freshly painted wicker rocking chairs, and a robin building a nest on top of a drain pipe. It’s 75 degrees outside. A beautiful spring week for sure.

And I’m stuck inside these four walls.

Some days I want to be outside so bad it hurts. You know the feeling – you’ve been cooped up all winter under grey Indiana skies, and now spring has sprung. Sunshine, baseball, gardening – pick your pleasure. Just to be outside in the cool spring grass and fresh air feels like a gift. It’s my favorite time of the year.

And at the end of the day I can and go outside and cure this Spring Fever. I can eat my lunch outside if I so choose. I can take a walk around the campus for a coffee break. I could even sneak out and squeeze in nine holes of golf in the middle of the day if the boss wouldn’t mind. I can enjoy life to it’s fullest if I choose.

Our residents do not have this same privilege. Imagine having this Spring Fever and not being able to go outside. Imagine knowing how perfect the weather is and only being able to enjoy it from the corner windows in your room. Imagine never feeling the grass between your toes, never feeling the breeze in your hair. Imagine the frustration you would feel to be an “outside person” stuck inside.

You can make it happen.

I strongly encourage you to take residents outside this spring every chance you get. Consider doing activities, snacks, or even some basic care such as nails, hair, etc. outdoors. Take someone for a lap around our gorgeous campus. Just find a reason to get out. Be the legs, the hands, the eyes of a resident with Spring Fever. You have the power to impact people everyday with such simple gestures.

Your actions can make the lives of others so much better.