stopandsmelltheflowers

There's a magnolia tree visible from my bedroom window. A harbinger of warm weather ahead. Its teacup sized flowers are the first in my yard to greet me after a long winter. And just before they blossom, the tree frogs' resonating backyard chorus reminds me that spring is just around the corner, and summer is not far away. I gleefully do a little happy dance every year they perform. And yes, as a lifelong New Englander, I have learned to embrace the beauty and solitude of winter, (Translation: Vermont skiing and lots of hot chocolate!) But I am a summer girl at heart fortunate enough to live by the beach. Energy is a funny thing when your clock is set to the school calendar. The rush of possibility in the fall, the excitement of the holidays, the mid-winter long haul, and then the light at the end of the tunnel: spring! I have to admit that I always feel a tinge of sadness as the school year closes. The daily routine, small talk on the playground with co-workers, living in a s...