Spring

Is Spring on its way? It sure feels like it here in Salt Lake City. The past few days the temperature has been in the 50s, maybe even the 60s. The air just has that feeling. You know what I mean? I swear it changes my state of being. I feel happier, more energy. I want to be outside. I know you know what I mean. Spring makes us feel alive.

And outside my window (where I have been slaving away at my desk this week - man there is a lot of work right now!) I see buds starting to form on the trees and the bird activity has increased. I see and hear a lot of birds. Today it is grey and rainy, but the kind of grey and rainy you get in the Spring. 

The groundhog did predict an early Spring, but I just do not know what to expect here in SLC as this is my first Spring here. Maybe it will be like this and then we will get more snow? I believe it typically snows here until April easily, and having a little snow in May is not unheard of. 

I never went skiing or snow shoeing and I am in Utah in the heart of ski country with like 7 ski places in like a 30 minute drive!!! Aaaaahhh!! I feel like a loser. Where the heck did the time go? How can it already be March?? The past three winter months have flown by. Where did they go??? One of the things I hate about getting older is how fast time flies. Do you notice this? I really do feel like it gets faster and faster each year. Why does that happen? I also think it is tied into the pace of our world these days. Isn't it weird how our sense of time works? The week before I went on vacation, I was so furiously busy with work that the week flew by at a crazy fast speed. I was kind of shocked. I was just a working machine and the week just disappeared in a flash. But last week while we were on vacation, that week seemed like two weeks. We did so much in that week - traveling to three different areas, visiting so many friends, seeing sites, etc. - and it just lasted a long time. Which is a beautiful thing to have for a vacation. So, why is that? Why does that happen? Why do we feel that way?

Anyway, back to the sad realization that I never took advantage of my first Utah winter, I guess I could still go skiing. There is certainly snow still up in the mountains, but this weather has my body and mind shifted to Spring now and I don't know if I can make that mental adjustment back to winter. Once you get that first taste of Spring, its all over. Its Spring Fever. Cold weather or snow are just temporary setbacks because you see and smell Spring just around the corner. 

I've been watching the weather in Washington, DC (my old home) and have been jealous of the warm weather they have had. Spring in Washington, DC is, as many of you know, one of the best times to be there (Fall is the other). I loved, loved, loved the feeling of Spring there. The weather is mild and perfect. Everything turns green. The city is full of trees that bloom in pinks and whites - cherry trees and others. People plant flowers everywhere - the city maintains endless beds of daffodils and then tulips all along the Potomac River and in spots downtown. Wow it is a site to see. I can see it all in my head and I can feel it too, from memory. When it warms up the outdoor seating opens up at bars and restaurants and people flock to these places. I remember how it is that first warm Friday night in the Spring - people go crazy - everyone out and about in places like Dupont Circle, U Street, Logan Circle, and Adams Morgan. The whole city just wakes up and changes. The outdoor seating areas are packed. The parks fill up with crazy people, hanging out people, dog people. Clothing changes. Traffic increases. Everyone wants to be out and living life. See, Spring Fever. It takes hold. I recall always feeling better and happier - more alive - in the Spring.

I think I will have a work trip to DC soon and I look forward to drinking in some of that Spring time feeling.