Vernal Equinox

As I drove down Magnolia Boulevard in Sherman Oaks the other day, I observed a very comforting sight even though it nearly blinded me. The time was 6:03 p.m. and I was driving due west as the sun was just sinking below the horizon. The awe I felt was in part due to the recognition of the event that I observed. It was nature proclaiming the Vernal Equinox as it has recurred for the umpteenth time with precision and beauty.

In the scheme of things, this event appeared to have gone unnoticed. I did not see it noted in newspaper editorials or in TV or radio commentary, but in this world of ours with its arbitrary standards and relative criteria there is a certain joy to behold in the simple truths of nature. It is an event that demonstrates order in an often chaotic surrounding. It is a discovery that belongs to children, or perhaps the child within us.

ALLEN HANS

Van Nuys