Spring Fever

Ooooh, do I ever have some spring fever! Spring has sprung here in Madison, and what a sweet sweet feeling it is after months of cold, grey and dirty waiting to melt snow. So lovely! Today I walked through State Street to get to campus for class, and "hopping" would not begin to describe the setting. Now, of course, it was also St. Patrick's Day - so the bagpipe bands, afternoon drunkards clad in green and obvious presence of police added to the liveliness, but it was still so fun I could hardly handle it. I arrived to class only to scrap my lecture plans for the day and send my giddy students out to observe movement on campus before finishing class on the lawn behind the building. Invigorating is the seemingly fitting word that keeps coming to my mind as I think about it all.

From late October through, well, sometimes early May, the weather in this northern midwestern land has the ability to be nothing short of absolutely depressing. In short, proof of the reality of seasonal affective disorder. But somehow around this time of year I'm always glad for the pairing of the bitter with the sweet - spring is just that much better after enduring yet another long winter. It's screaming out to you to wake up, marvel at the life around you, and prepare yourself for beauty and greatness (i.e. the Farmer's Market resuming on May 1). And on days like today, the Wisconsin winter is almost worth it (almost).

Ah, breathe in, breathe out, breathe life. Thank goodness for spring!