Beautiful, Lovely Sun

This winter has been really hard for a lot of people. The east coast of the US got hammered with so many blizzards that I lost track. Facebook friends living in those areas posted photo after photo of the piles and drifts of snow. It was unbelievable.

We had our share of bad weather in the Midwest, too. Normally, I like winter. I like to hibernate under a blanket and stay indoors and read and write. But this year, I didn't enjoy it. At all. And I'm not quite sure why.

Maybe it was too many days of bitterly cold temperatures, or the fact that my heating bill went through the roof because the windows in our house (it's a rental) are old and our landlady won't replace them. Or maybe it's because my body really did not do well with cold weather, making my rheumatoid arthritis much worse.

Whatever the case, my mood was dark, my motivation nonexistent.

And then...the sun came out.

Literally.

All this week, we've had gorgeous, sunny skies with temperatures to match. I no longer have to wear a heavy winter coat. Heck, even a light jacket isn't required! We have been hitting the low 70s and it's only March!

It's felt glorious to walk outside and hear the birds chirping, see the squirrels and rabbits darting around on the lawn, feel the sun on my face. I've started taking my walks again, slow, meandering walks that allow me to soak in the first bursts of spring. I can't wait for thunderstorms and rain and green grass.

My mood has improved. I feel more like me again.

And this reminds me that we go through different seasons in our lives. Perhaps the season of me enjoying winter is over, and I'm starting a new season of being more of a spring/summer person. In the past, I've always loved fall and winter, but fall wasn't that great and winter was definitely yucky.

Of course, this could be temporary. Last year's health crisis threw me for a curve that I don't know if I've quite come out of. My body has changed. Menopause will do that, I suppose, and I'm struggling to accept this new me.

I suppose that's a post for another day, however.

For today, I shall bask in the sunlight on my skin and praise God for bringing some much-needed spring weather to our little corner of the world.