Pardon the pun but when I walked into work this morning there was a spring in my step. I felt lighter. I felt stronger. I felt fresh. I felt great. I knew the weather forecast going in. I checked it this morning and it bummed me out, but only for a second… warm to start the day but then getting chilly and remaining chilly and below normal all week. If I had seen a forecast like this even a month ago it would have brought some serious dread and more of those winter blues but that’s just it. The winter is over. While there may be some cold days and chilly nights ahead the fact of the matter is that today is the first full day of spring. Nothing can change that.
Every year spring rejuvenates me and today I feel as fresh and hopeful as ever. My voice is barely working above a whisper and my body is worn down from a very full weekend of activity but none of that matters. I feel like I’ve shed my winter skin and I am ready to roll. Much like the nature around me, I feel reborn. Over the next few weeks I will begin to grow and expand and no I am not talking about waistlines. I’m going to start going out more. I’m going to start to do things based on a feeling or a whim. I’m going to expect to have a good day every day as opposed to knowing a day is going to suck because of the weather.
This is me at my most optimistic. It’s almost manic that I go from being so being down and out stricken with the winter blues to downright euphoric about the 6 months ahead but that is life in Buffalo. The weather here IS manic. The seasons provide such drastic opposites of weather that completely influence and reflect or maybe I should say dictate my mood. I think it does that for many Buffaloians. The good is great when it arrives and the bad is only terrible when it’s been bad for a long time. I don’t feel like garbage when winter hits. It takes months of icy sidewalks and bitter cold to break me down. Eventually it does and usually by February I’m tapping out. I start counting down the weeks to spring. I start anticipating the first 50 degree day, then the first 60 degree day. I start looking to the trees to show me signs of life. Deep below my battered, exhausted surface hope springs eternal. It really does feel like I’ve shed an old layer of skin and have been reenergized by a potent combination of my mind and nature.
The dreamer in me is reborn with new hopes and dreams. Last summer I did many things for the first time. Some were little things I was curious about like trying this restaurant or going on a hike to this place and others were big like appearing in a film for the first time. I don’t know if many of you are old enough to remember those Looney Tunes where they’d post signs about what season it is as a prelude in one of their cartoons. If it was duck season you could be sure Daffy Duck had some trouble coming or if it was wabbit season you could also be sure that Elmer Fudd had some trouble coming and Bugs Bunny was going to give it to him. Well there’s a signpost up ahead. I feel like it says “dream season”. I know the whole year should be dream season but during this time when I feel like I am at the peak of my creativity/emotions/powers, I’m most likely to chase them and tackle as many of them as I can.
The kid in me is reborn as I feel younger this time of year. I get giddy about young things like playing sports on organized teams and going to baseball games, plays, concerts and festivals. I get excited about community events and city pride. I feel like the kid who felt like anything was possible and will appreciate every good moment for what it is.
The energy in me is reborn. Creative inspiration is everywhere. That lull that almost feels like an environmental writer’s block dissipates and suddenly I want to work on a dozen projects. I drop the baggage of the winter that keeps me stuck like an anchor and proceed to only look forward. I’ve already got 8 things written on my calendar for April. By the end of the week I may have 8 more. Life becomes enjoying each moment and then when that moment is gone life becomes anticipating the next great moment which will only be a few blinks away. I chip off all the disappointments, burdens and bad energy the winter provided and start anew with a clean slate. Maybe that’s why I feel lighter.
Needless to say I’m looking forward to a great spring and summer. All that moaning and bitching about the winter is done. This is what we’ve been waiting for. We’ve been reborn. Tomorrow is ours… what will we do with it?
No comments:
Post a Comment