#274 The first warm day of Spring
I went to school in a small town on a big lake.
Sharp winter air bit our cheeks year round as we skidded across slippery slush sidewalks under sweaty bundles of wet scarves and snow-covered hats. Yes, fingers froze and so did toes in our blustery red-faced races to class.
Basically, it was all about getting where you were going and then staying there for good. After all, once you slow-peeled all the steamy layers off you didn't really feel like moving anymore. Couch sessions were common with video games, basement movies, and dialing for dinner all part of our hibernation preservation.
Yes, we were grizzlies in the den until it finally ringed… When those winter chills faded and then finally bringed… those beautifully warm windy breezes of the first day of Spring!
That's when warm air finally blew across our faces and woke up all our senses.
It was a beautiful moment.
It is a beautiful moment.
Tiny leaves push through sandy sidewalk cracks reaching out like skinny fists to the heavens. You can picture their invisible roots stretching their dusty arms, shaking cobwebs off their coats, and getting set to push deeper and deeper all summer long.
Warm winds stir up heady smells of dark topsoil, flower pollen, and squished worms. Running shoes soak through yellow grass and tiny mud bubbles rise around every step as you artfully dodge rogue dirty-ice chunks in the shade and last year's dog poo.
Bike helmets wobble on shaky bikes, tongue-wagging dogs go on street-strolling hikes, and everyone smiles at this moment of delight.
So lose the jacket and get on your feet! Come join the party in the street! Just smell the trees and sniff those blossoms! Because our first warm day of Spring is so completely
AWESOME!
–Email message –
"Nate and I have been dating since the day we met early 2009. Shortly after that, I moved away for school, now he is in the Canadian Navy, and we are at least 4141 km apart every day of the year.
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This Christmas didn't work according to plan. Unfortunately, flights didn't work and the only time we'd have together was in the airport during his two and a half hour layover. We decided to do Christmas at the airport. We also hadn't seen each other in person for over a year since he left for Naval Training.
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I got the idea to give him The Book of Awesome and personalize it with comments throughout to make it a really special gift. I spent hours writing in the book. So at the airport, I got Nate to open his present first. He peeled back the paper to reveal the cover and looked at me, shocked, and put the gift down. I told him "There's more, open the book!" But he was already reaching in his bag. He handed me a parcel and said, "Open it." I looked at him, smiled and peeled back the paper to reveal the exact same book. We had both personalized the books in the same way, writing comments all over. It was truly an AWESOME Airport Christmas." – Sarah
