Serenity

It was a long, cold winter... much longer and much colder than most years. March came in like a lion and went out like a lamb that has developed a taste for human flesh (which is actually a genuinely terrifying image).

Then, April began and the seasons turned. Today, it feels like they are turning again. April is drawing to an end, but right now it feels like summer. Maybe not summer in Japan, but summer in the Pacific Northwest, at least. It's about 75˚F at 4 in the afternoon--an afternoon too nice to spend inside! There's a breeze, but it's mild and refreshing. I don't think I would change the temperature any--the thermostat is just right and I feel like if I so much as breath too heavily or blink too loudly it might disrupt this delicate and perfect setting.

An afternoon like this was worth the wait; it was worth all the days in August and September that were too hot and humid, worth all the days between January and March that were too cold, rainy or snowy. It was even worth all of the sniffling and sneezing earlier this month when the trees blossomed. I'm the kind of person who tends to be dissatisfied with the present, and is constantly looking ahead to something--this is something I need to work on, to challenge myself to change... but today, I am content with where I am. I could sit at this picnic table for hours.