Things Winter Taught Me

They say tomorrow is the first day of spring. We live in Arizona so we don't really go by seasons but nonetheless, I'm excited to see spring arrive. The sun is warm on my skin but there's also a nice cool breeze. The Acacia trees are in full blossom and smelling like something I'd bottle up and wear all year long if I could. There's baseball happening. What a time to be alive, spring time, know what I mean?!

So with spring here, that means winter has come and gone and it gives us a chance to look back and reflect on the season passed.

Winter reminded me that truly, the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Hallmark Christmas movies do in fact come to an end - they don't air them all year. I was holding out a little bit of hope that I could come upon Christmas in Evergreen sometime in February. You can't. I didn't.

I learned to layer, this winter. It's freezing cold in the mornings and it's hard to picture your life ever warming up in the foreseeable future (dramatic, but accurate be honest) but you know what? You're probably not gonna need that scarf come 1pm. In fact, you're probably gonna turn on your AC when you get in your car after work. But dammit, it's so cold in the morning. Layer your clothes, people. This is particularly true if you're gonna spend time outside. Perhaps in an off-road vehicle. Possibly traveling at high rates of speed. It feels nice and chilly and dandy when you're standing still and your hooded sweatshirt is like, I got this. And then you take off and suddenly your hooded sweatshirt is like, gimme the windbreaker! Gimmie the heavy coat you stuffed in the hood of the machine! SOS!
This is me wearing a long sleeve shirt, a hooded sweatshirt, a jacket, and a neck gaiter that doubles as a scarf (life hack).

Bees don't hibernate in the winter. I don't know why I thought maybe they did, or that like, they just didn't really like the cold and wouldn't come buzzing around chasing you but they do.
This is me cautiously approaching my camera because there was a bee flying around it, and everyone laughing at me.

I don't even care I don't play with bees.

I was reminded over the winter, that my wardrobe is still not winter appropriate - I wear the same gray cardigan and black flats to everything because I'm too cheap to buy boots and never think the cold will last long enough to warrant spending more money on cardigans. We celebrated my friend Sarah's birthday in January and we basically all showed up in the same thing. We made a deal that we have to take each other shopping next winter for appropriate footwear and cardigan diversity. At 31 perhaps it's time to invest in a(n) (Arizona) winter wardrobe (or not, jury's still out).

It's been a good time, winter but I'm ready for daylight past 5pm, pastel's, and for baseball games to start counting.

Let's do this, spring.