I've lived in New England my whole life, and I love it. There is no place in the world I would rather call home. Don't get me wrong, I can truly appreciate the heat and sun in Florida, and the beauty and warmth of the west coast, but the seasons will always keep me here.
And today was a day that reminds me why. It's been a loooooong winter this year, and everybody feels it. Not so much snow, but the cold--the frigid, bone-chilling cold that has felt relentless this winter, has made this winter seem never-ending. Dark days and frozen mornings, biting winds, icicles hanging dangerously overhead, the storm watches and winter warnings--it's been just too intense, and completely depressing.
But today was the first day in what feels like forever, that the sun sparkled, and the air held that familiar smell of green on it's way. We left our jackets in the car, opened windows, and just stood still and let the sun warm our faces as the vitamin D sank deep into our bodies. Oooh, it felt good. And as I faced the sun, wearing just a sweater, chatting with a neighbor at the park while the kids and dogs ran about, I remembered--this is why I love New England. Each year takes us on a weather journey with powerful (and sometimes debilitating) heat, summer winds and rain, cicadas singing and crickets chirping into the night, to vibrant color and warm, cozy smells, and harvest and preparation as we move towards the deep, dark, cold of white mounds, slick roads, and glistening stillness. And then comes a day like today, when we can truly appreciate the hope and wonder of what is coming--the browns turning to green, the freedom of bare skin warming in the sun, the music flying overhead as the world awakes to spring, and then the cycle continues.
