Source: cargocollective.com via Becky on Pinterest

Is that so much to ask?

I never used to hate winter.

I wouldn’t say I actively enjoyed it, per se, but we got along. Winter certainly had its charms—snow days, warm cups of cocoa, endless afternoons of ice skating.

In fact, there are plenty of things about it that I still love. The wonderful silence of an undisturbed snow, the smell of logs burning in the fireplace, the stark beauty of barren tree branches, wrapping myself up in a warm scarf.

But these days, we’re not on such good terms. Winter and I have officially broken up. My enthusiasm doesn’t usually fade so quickly, but ever since our 10-day stint of roughing it after Hurricane Sandy, I haven’t been so keen about the cold weather. Spending a week and a half in a house with no heat pretty much wore out my freezing quota for the entire season.

Consequently, I have been counting the days until Spring since October.

And it’s almost (finally) here! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The temperatures are creeping slowly but steadily upward, the ground has thawed and the last of the snow is melting.

But it’s not just the thermometer that gives me hope. It’s the little things—the crocuses coming up in my yard, the cloud of gnats that chased me home yesterday, the smells of ozone and wet pavement. It’s basking in the first warm sun with my dog on the front lawn and leaving my mittens at home.

And that’s just the beginning. Soon, it will be time to get out the hammock and take the sundresses out of the attic and walk to work instead of taking the subway.

Not long after that, it will be time to open up all the windows and eat dinner on the patio while it’s still light. It will be time for thunderstorms and lightning bugs and walking barefoot through the grass.

And finally, once again, it will be summer.

It will be time to sleep under the stars. It will be time for shorts and tank tops and flip flops (or not). It will be time for sand and saltwater and sunscreen. And for fireworks and picnics and bonfires and camping trips and mosquito bites and ice cream.

There will be crickets at night, dew in the morning, and sunburns in the late afternoon. We will have warm bodies, warm houses and warm hearts.

That’s what I hold onto during these last, cruel few weeks. It may not be here fast enough for my liking, but summer is coming. All in good time.

What do you look forward to?

Caroline Scherer is finding her way in the world. She is a thinker, a dreamer, a writer, and an old soul. She enjoys, but is not very good at yoga, and is feeling guilty about maybe wanting to reevaluate her vegetarianism. She is also an increasingly less recent graduate of Skidmore College, but pretends otherwise. Nowadays, she uses her liberal arts education to work at an independent bookstore and navigate the strange world of post-graduate underemployment. She is an avid swimmer, crossword puzzle enthusiast and dog lover.

 

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Ed: Kate Bartolotta