Breathes new life...

Spring is one of those seasons that gets into your blood and makes it come alive after a long winter, it breathes new life into you and opens your eyes to new possibilities, new hopes and dreams. Tonight, walking home from the gym the rain fell, tapping out a rhythmic beat off the lid of my Tim Horton's coffee cup lid; not the beat of war drums in the distance but a happy little beat that would start the dancing in a tribal celebration. It was warm, and though I was soaked I barely noticed it, instead I allowed the water to drip onto my cheeks and clear away the winter blues, the fresh sent clinging to the inside of my nostrils had me humming and smiling despite the wet sweater and jeans.

Now, don't get me wrong, there is something to be said for Winter. That first snowfall, when you were little and would run to the window in the morning and see blankets of white that begged for your footprints, and snow angels, forts and snowball fights. When you opened the door, the usual hustle and bustle of the city has been dampened by the puffy mounds of white fluff that is buffering all noise. The fat snowflakes that fall at night, while you sit by a warm fire, the kind that fall onto the Christmas lights and melt on the red and green glass. The feeling of coming in soaking wet, fingers cold and nose dripping, after playing for hours in the cold wet snow fort you made with friends, only to be enveloped by the warmth of the house, your mother holding a cup of hot chocolate with two puffy marshmallows melting into a sticky foam that your lips couldn't wait to lick. Yes, winter can be magical. However, winter is a little like snowboarding for the first time, you strap the board on, anticipation flooding your veins, you are flying for the first time in your life, snow beneath you, sky above you and the wind at your back. You feel amazing... then you add a touch too much pressure to your right toe (or left, or heal it doesn't matter) and that natural grace you had only moments before is gone (along with your dignity) and you are now tumbling down a mountain, arms flying in all directions, snow getting into your nose, mouth, and worse, down the back of your neck. You land in a heap in a giant pile of hard snow or maybe it's a tree, and everything hurts for days. This is winter. Wonderful for a moment and painful for days.

So, you see, this is why I love spring. This is why even the rain is so welcome, because it means that new life is coming, for me as well as bulbs, trees, and all other living creatures. The air is fresher, the streets cleaner, people are happier, project smile gets more smiles, I sit in the my kitchen, windows open and I hear the kids in the school yard a few streets away, and all of it tells me that I can come out of hibernation now. I can breathe again, I can get my hands dirty in the garden, I can feel the warmth of the sun on my back, I can see the pink come to my children's cheeks as they race down the slide, or play with their dog and the ball, or simply race around just so happy to be outside!