Signs of Spring

For all the complaining I tend to do about winter, I must not miss this opportunity to rejoice over the recent signs of spring in Minnesota.

We have had several days in the 40s, which is a much welcome change from the sub-zero temperatures of just over a week ago. On Saturday I took my first outdoor walk since about October. Snow was melting into puddles all around me, and once again I saw people with their babies and dogs also enjoying the thaw. I had almost forgotten how refreshing and soothing it is to breath fresh air and feel the sun. Running indoors on a treadmill just isn’t the same!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a true Minnesota early thaw if there were not at least one person outside in shorts the minute the temperature rises above 35 degrees. I saw at least one of these this weekend, which confirms that spring is near!

In the midst of being busy with school and other activities, I’ve been learning to enjoy the “little things.” To avoid the chaos of morning traffic on the way to school, I’ve started taking the side streets to get to the freeway. With the gain in minutes of daylight, this puts me driving past Lake Calhoun just about sunrise. It’s beautiful, and reminds me that soon I will once again enjoy Minnesota spring/summer activities like walking around the lakes.

Everything seems easier in spring, especially parking on campus. With the snow melting, many more spaces in the parking lot have appeared out of nowhere, and two cars can actually drive down the side streets at the same time. And I can now see over the smaller snow banks as I look for oncoming traffic while making a turn (tall people don’t appreciate this “little” thing).

While no one knows how long our early “spring” will last, I plan on enjoying every minute of it!