Giving Up Her Wintry Ghost

Hello and welcome to a sweet-smile Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is May 20th.

Like most Saturdays this past school year, I'm up early to write today's blog post. On what looks to be a promising, sunny day, Little Kitty is curled up in my lap with eyes clamped shut and a sweet smile on her feline lips. My coffee is still hot in its mug as I enjoy the ball of sunshine beaming through the branches of a pine tree. The grass is thick and lush. My husband has outdoor plans to do car maintenance and mow the lawn. The bikes are out. The outdoor cats are prowling the neighborhood. The Bleeding Heart I planted last year is sprouting promising shoots. I think it's safe to say Wannaskaland has been blessed with a bout of spring. Winter is behind us.

Thank goodness.

I'm someone who genuinely enjoys winter. I like sweaters more than short sleeves; bundling up more than dressing down. But this last winter? Oof. For all my positivity, this last January-February-March felt like a doozy. The cold felt different. The darkness lingered longer than I liked. I didn't feel the usual joy for taking walks on tight, squeaky snow while inhaling deep breaths of icy, invigorating air. Instead, I furled inward in the early morning darkness and quiet in my overstuffed Barco lounger with my cat and coffee - and just sat.

Anyone else?

But there was a shift, thank goodness. A stirring in my heart and in my bones to rise and get out. I attribute the trip to Houston for Robotics Worlds for jumpstarting the jalopy I had become. Hitting the road and heading south - away from dirty white clumps of ice that refused to melt and the stubborn gray-brown drab of bare branches refusing to release nary a bud - into a relief of green. As the old milk commercial says, "It does a body good."

Since that trip, I have rebounded in the best way. I get outside to walk or ride a bike. My husband hands me a daily dose of Vitamin D and I say thank you instead of rolling my eyes. I'm shedding sweaters for dresses and clompy boots for cute kicks. The earth is giving up her wintry ghost and releasing her green - and so am I.