Waiting

Tomorrow the temperature might, just might, break the freezing mark for 24 hours. It will be above freezing by a few degrees, apparently, down in the city. Since my temperatures are usually cooler up on the mountain, the possibility of reaching that mark here is chancier. And yet, the idea of even a momentary January thaw is always something I look forward to.

It’s not that I am aching for spring. It’s more that a brief thaw is like a little mini-vacation, sort of, at least in my mind. That’s a day when the heaviest coat can be left in the closet and the lighter one can be left unzipped, when the sun feels warmer. I think even the birds notice, as they are usually more active. It’s practically a lock that the cardinals will be singing. The day will just feel different, and that difference will be enjoyable.

In winter the cabin is snuggled within the woods, almost hidden by trees. It is the color of the surrounding trees, covered with the same white snow. Your eye could almost pass across it and for an instant not notice it is there.

A day of warmer weather seems to open life up again, to expand possibilities. Too often, in winter, I get in the habit of hunkering down or curling up, cocoon-like, when the weather turns much of daily life into an effort. Somehow, even a little warm-up rejuvenates me and lets me enjoy winter again when it returns the next day or the day after. Perhaps it’s simply the change itself I appreciate. In any event, I do appreciate it. We'll see what tomorrow brings.