|
|
|
The views expressed on this page are soley
those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the views of County
News Online
|
 |
Broke Wife, Big City
A
time to laugh, a time to weep (but mostly weeping)
By Aprill Brandon
They say to every thing there is a season. Which is why I suspect we
have winter. Misery, depression and blanket fort binge-drinking need a
season too.
But, and I think I speak for most of us when I say this, it is high
time to turn, turn, turn onto a new season. Before I burn, burn, burn
Mother Nature TO THE GROUND.
It’s the same thing every year. Winter overstays its welcome until I
get so frustrated that I physically start trying to punch the arctic
wind as it hits me in the face. Thus making ME look like the crazy one.
But I’m not crazy. Winter is crazy. I’m not crazy. HahAhaAhhaA! It’s
winter’s fault I’m karate chopping the air and scaring small children
who pass by.
I JUST WANT TO FEEL MY FINGERTIPS AGAIN.
And that’s when it happened. Right when I was on the brink (or perhaps
just a little past it), it came. Did you guys smell it? Taste it? In
the air? As soon as I opened my eyes that morning, I knew. Everything
was the same and yet, subtly different. It wasn’t even that much
warmer. Ten degrees, tops. But it was a DIFFERENT kind of warm. The
kind of warmth that makes you remember that you used to be more than
just a bag of freezing flesh stuffed into flannel pajamas and wrapped
in a Snuggie burrito.
The first spring-like day had finally arrived. The first day where the
sun wasn’t just a distant ornament hanging in the sky, but an actual
star producing light and heat. The first day where everyone poured out
of their houses, blinking in bewilderment at their neighbors, like
“Hey, I vaguely remember you!” The first day of the rest of our lives
because we were all, at long last, free from the icy grip of that
monster, Father Winter.
And yes, I hear you. Okay? I hear you. “Um, well, you know, technically spring
doesn’t start until the equinox on Mar…”
SHUT UP. Let me have this. I have been walking my kids to school
through a winter wasteland for four and a half months. I don’t remember
what it’s like to not have thermal leggings on underneath my regular
mom leggings. I need to believe winter is over.
NEED.
“Sure,
but I mean, don’t get your hopes up. It’ll definitely snow at least one
more time.”
OH, WHAT’S THAT? I CAN’T HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF FLOWERS SPROUTING
AND BIRDS CHIRPING. AND NOT THAT SAD WINTER CHIRPING EITHER. HAPPY
FREAKING WARM SPRING CHIRPING.
“But
you realize that spring is an extremely volatile season, right? We are
in for months of sleet and mud and generally unpleasantness.”
Oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening again. Too busy admiring these brand
new flip flops I just bought.
“The
forecast for tomorrow is calling for hail and a high of 43.”
Oh, burn in hell.
At least it’s warm there.
Shoot, I might join you.
Look, you can throw facts and forecasts and freezing rain down on my
delusional parade all you want. But I’m staying firm in my belief that
winter is now over. I got a taste of what life used to be like a
million years ago where a quick trip somewhere didn’t involve 20
minutes of shoving squirmy toddler limbs into elaborate outerwear. And
it tasted delicious.
It tasted like hope.
Hope of a new world. A brighter, greener world. A world where my pale
face turns slightly less pale and people stop asking me if I’m sick.
And I am eating it up until I vomit.
Then going back for seconds.
Can’t get enough of Aprill? Can’t wait until next week?
Check out her website at http://aprillbrandon.com/
|
|
|
|
