T. S. Eliot said, “April is the cruelest month.”  He was not referring to pollen allergies, but the phrase certainly applies in that context, if you’re anything like myself.

The first week of April has been a struggle for those of us that suffer from pollen allergies, and the spring season, after our extended winter, has certainly made a grand entrance.

Just in time for the final month of our semester, the trees have started blooming and the animals have started their mating season. Unless you wash your car every day, you have likely seen the evidence of this in the layers of pollen that have covered our cars like the after-effects of a dust storm. While the relieving rain has given us a temporary respite from this yellow wave, the warm weather in our future likely means that the scourge of pollen will return.

Of course, there are positive aspects of the arrival of spring. The exit of winter has brought with it the arrival of warmer weather and positive attitudes. It also means relaxing afternoons of reading or napping, lying out under the light of the sun or in a hammock. Spring also means the return of backyard sports like ultimate frisbee and soccer, assuring us that summer is on its way quickly.

April is certainly a harsh month for people like myself; severe allergies guarantee a month full of headaches, runny noses and itchy eyes. In the end, this month will certainly be worth it; students will head home for summer break and the seniors will end their time here at PC to begin what will surely be a wonderful future. As the flowers start blooming, and vacation season arrives, we will all look back and be grateful for the ordeal.