Ralphie Rough Road

Drumming my fingers on my desk I look outside.  The sun is shining.  It looks warm outside.  But it is not.  With the average highs ranging from the lower 40s to mid-50s I am awaiting consistent temperatures in the 60s and 70s.  (All temperatures are in Fahrenheit.)  Over the last few weeks we have had what I term teaser days with temperatures in the 60s.

Sure it’s March and in the mid-west this is the in between seasons stage.  Colder temperatures follow warmer days and on it goes.  After a few months of winter we are all ready to move on to the next season.  It’s the way of things when you live in a climate with definite seasons.

Two weeks ago our spring peepers started their annual symphony of music.  Spring peepers are small frogs known throughout the eastern US and Canada.  Their call marks the start of spring.

This excited me.  That sound means the start of spring.  Warmer temperatures and the reemergence of life from its winter slumber.  Yay!  But then I remembered I live in the mid-west where warmer temperatures can take a while to emerge and stay around.

Back to tapping my fingers in an impatient melody of awaiting what I desire.  Days spent on the patio, sandals, greenery, and leaves on the trees.

For those of you reading my blog regularly (thank you for that) I wrote about appreciating winter a few weeks ago.  Don’t mistake, there are things I appreciate about winter.  However, this Indiana girl has spring fever.  I’m ready.  More than ready.

Yet, I realized I am trying to move time forward.  I don’t want to age quicker or have another year disappear in a fog of quickness.  But I seem ready to turn the clock forward and skip this in between time.  Why?

Am I ready for a change?  The temperatures are higher than they were a month ago.  For this I am grateful.  I guess you could say I am over the colder, dormant months of winter.

Despite this, today I changed my view.  The spring will come soon enough.  Before I know it, the temperatures will be in the 90s and I will miss the cooler days.

Contentment in this moment is a key to happiness.   Which leads to my shift in perspective.  Leading to a list of things that will go away once warmer weather approaches.  These things I will savor while they are still here.  To relish them and put them away until next winter.

1. Snuggling under a warm blanket on the couch reading a book.
2. Sipping on a cup of comforting hot tea.
3. Enjoying a crackling fire in the wood stove.
4. Relaxing in front of a mesmerizing patio fire on a cool evening.
5. Being lazy on a Saturday when it’s too cold to be outside.
6. Listening to the sound of silence outside while most everything is dormant.
7. Enjoying a blanket of untouched snow on the ground.
8. Wearing my favorite sweatshirt, warm coat, or my favorite pair of jeans.

Here’s to having gratitude for the seasons in our lives and all the things that go along with each.

As for me I’ll watch mother nature’s explosive show of new life in my comfy sweatshirt and favorite pair of jeans.

Happy official start to spring!