Ready for Spring

As I write this, it's a sunny morning and the promise of Spring is in the air. I awoke to clear blue skies ouside my bedroom window, the kind of blue that you just want to pull right out of the sky and make a sundress out of. When Steve and I walked outside, however, we could see a mix of blue sky, white billowy clouds, and heavy gray, threatening clouds. The sun carried a certain warmth, if you stood still full in its glow, but in shadows the air was still briskly cold.

We picked up some coffee at Starbucks - his usual extra ice Americano, my usual 1/2 decaf soy latte - and made a courageous attempt to sit outside. The glare of the bright sun on my computer screen, coupled with the too-cool air, was less than ideal. So now, we have set up camp inside the Cedar Hills Crossing atrium. High above me, huge skylights play a rotating show of blue sky and clouds. To my left, the new Powell's Books beckons. To my right, a gazebo filled with fake ivy and bright silk flowers houses the Easter Bunny - much to the delight of small children who pass by. The grey bunny in a purple polka-dot smock high-fives a security guard as he dances around the mall. A small blonde girl in a white summer dress and pristine white gloves giggles with delight.

Harbingers of Spring.

OK, technically March 21st marked the official First Day of Spring this year. But it never really feels like Spring until I'm able to comfortably wear flip-flops and capri pants for at least three days straight. Or until I start to expect sunshine when I wake up, instead of clouds. In short, until it's practially Summer already.

The great thing about Spring is that it holds such a wonderful promise. All of the Summers of my past start to melt into this one glorious season that is just around the corner. There will be picnics and barbecues, tank tops and flower-print skirts, lazy afternoons in the shade and balmy evenings. This will be the year I finally check out the summer concert series at the Oregon Zoo. I picture myself hiking and camping almost every weekend, really taking advantage of Oregon's outdoor offerings. We'll finally get up to Mt. St. Helens this year, I tell myself. Steve will grill chicken and vegetables several times a week, and we'll sit out on our balcony drinking lemonade. Maybe this year, I'll really get into gardening, and my balcony will be alive with lush green plants and cheerful blooms. For me, Spring holds the promise of an ideal Summer.

I seem to know in the back of my mind that October will come, and I'll have to tuck many of those Summer dreams away for anonther season. There never seem to be enough lazy afternoons or wide open weekends when the weather is ripe for outdoor living. At least, not in Oregon. But one of the reasons I choose to live here is that incomparable feeling you get when you have a free Saturday and it's the first really nice day of the year, and you are bursting to seize the moment and live it out to the fullest.

In a way, the weather here is a reflection of life. You never know how long the sunny days will last, and you can be sure that there's some rain somewhere in your forecast. Dreams of sunny days can tide you over when the cold sets in, and you're stuck inside. I think that sometimes we need to come inside for a while....I mean, who wants to clean house when the sun is shining? It forces us to slow down and reflect. Then, when the good days come, we are more than ready to burst forth and live life to the fullest, to bask in the warm glow and enjoy it for all it's worth.

As for me, I'm ready for the Spring, because it means my Summer is coming. And I've got some great summer clothes that have been folded up in boxes for way too long.....