Spring Fever!

Anybody else catch the fever yet?

When the weather starts to turn (even from the 20's to the balmy 30's) I just can't concentrate.

Spring means shedding all of these layers of clothing. Finally getting all that Vitamin D I've been missing. People crawling out of their winter dens and slowly making their way to the lakefront for some spring exercise and fresh air.


Summer plans begin to take shape. Lollapalooza rumors start spreading. Summer shows begin rehearsals. Catchers and pitchers report to camp. March Madness brackets come together. The freezer has been emptied - whether through consumption or boredom - chili, soup and stew no longer sound good. Bright cotton tees and dresses push out drab gray sweaters and coats, marked down embarrasingly cheap - they were never cozy enough.

And of course a renewal of interest in the opposite sex (or if you don't roll that way, your preferred sex). Doesn't matter if you're married, taken, spoken for, betrothed or anything else, spring awakens so much more than the tiny buds in the trees gawking anxiously outside your frosty windows.


I have always had a bad case of spring fever boy crazies. Luckily my husband finds this somewhat endearing. It's probably because the feeling is infectious. Look around and notice that people start smiling a little more. Are just a tad more engaging on trains, at bus stations, just walking around. I just notice people more. It's funny how we all fade into the background underneath our scarves and hats and gloves. Our hunkered postures and harried pursuit of indoor shelter from the cold deny any time for niceties. Dude, get outta my way, it's freezing!


But as soon as we begin to shed these layers, everything really does seem new again. How is it that we forget every year? That people are beautiful to watch. That nature is breathtakingly resilient. That it feels good to be noticed. Knowing you are alive and feeling alive is at once both comforting and exhilarating.


The collective restlessness is palpable. Do you feel it? Not yet? Well it is still just February. Perhaps I've caught the fever early. I smile in your general direction.

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mm