which came first?

one of my favorite daily chores is collecting eggs. i’m still astounded at the variety: blue, green, brown, yellow, big, small. why did i not know this before? lynea and i collected 25 yesterday during our nightly egg hunt routine.

surprised by spring

growing up in florida, i never really experienced the seasons. well, i guess we did have slight variations - very hot, hot, less hot. but overall, i didn’t seem to mind. however, i now realize that i was missing out on one of the common human experiences: winter! cleveland winter’s are long. “always winter, never christmas” as some have said. i didn’t notice it the first time i experienced it back in ‘07-08, but then again, i was engaged and my feet rarely touched the ground. this year, i experienced it fully. maybe it’s because i’m a rookie to this weather thing, but it was admittedly hard. all i wanted was shorts and a t-shirt and a nice jog. or frisbee. or the sun. it was never ending! until, all of sudden (drum roll)....spring! life! joy! flowers! no words just sheer amazement! i’ve never experienced anything like it. something in you shifts, indeed, something in nature shifts. the birds are singing again. my shorts have come out to play. the long, cold death of winter has produced the vibrant life of spring. i can’t stop smiling when i walk outside. i’ve even laughed out loud a few times, then looked around to see if anyone saw me laughing at nothing. no one so far, but now it’s on the internet.

i understand now why we use “cold” as a negative adjective and “warm” as a positive. not that winter is all bad. to be sure, there’s sledding, snowballs, activities by the fire, holidays, seeing your breath (which i still think is pretty neat). but this new season has produced in me a wonder that i’ve never before experienced, and i can only attribute it to winter. without winter, i would not have known these feelings and emotions that i’m experiencing presently. without winter, i would not have known what it was like to be surprised by spring.