The window of my bedroom faces south and across the street from me is Allan Gardens, a large park filled with huge trees. Most mornings, now that the weather has become decidedly spring, I’ve been woken up by the sound of a robin joyously singing his heart out. Hearing him always makes me smile–this is one happy bird and he’s thrilled spring is finally here. And well he should be, as it feels like the season has taken forever to arrive; it’s May and the trees across the way are still bare as bones.

I think the robin’s song is one of the happiest sounds in nature. This little guy with the bright red chest is proud of his job as the herald of the end of winter, welcoming the warmth of the sun and ushering in the tree buds and first sprouting flowers. He’s like a Parade Grand Marshal for the new season, a fearless leader no matter what the weather. When we had that snow storm back in April, he was still up that morning singing his loudest, although there seemed to be a subtle shift from happiness to pissed-off. It really sounded like he was cussing out Old Man Winter for overstaying his welcome. What a gutsy bird standing up to fickle Mother Nature and defending our right to spring!

Fearless leaders and gutsy entertainers could be considered the sub-theme of our upcoming summer issue of PinkPlayMags. We’ll be out at the beginning of June, just in time for WorldPride, so be sure to check out our features where we’ll look at the super-star line-up of entertainers hitting the various stages throughout the festival, what to expect at the three-day Human Rights Conference, the debut of Nuit Rose, as well as our usual helping of columns ready to help you celebrate hosting the world for our favourite party of the year. Talk about a fearless and gutsy group of people ready for some serious fun!

(painting by Kelly Riccetti)

About the Author

Jeff Harrison is going into his 7th year as editor-in-chief of PinkPlayMags and is astounded at how quickly the time has flown by! Ink runs through his veins and if he's not writing, or editing, then he's voraciously reading...or nerding out over a good comic book, or video game.