Spring Fever

It's after midnight. It's maybe one of the difficulties that I've found with working shift work. My hours get all turned around and so I find myself awake while others sleep. So be it. I get to think during those times. Today I've been thinking about spring fever.

Today, when I woke up, I saw that the sun was shining. The temperature was over 0 degrees finally, and things were melting. How exciting. It's different when it melts in March from when it melts in any other month of the winter. It's different because here in Alberta we know that spring is coming. We know. And I found myself getting more excited. My blood started to run. My heart beat a little faster and I felt happier.

I noticed as I left the house that my neighbours were out. People were smiling and and building little rivers in their yards so that, as the snow melts, the water flowed into the alley instead of forming large puddles in yards. People waved at me....even people I didn't know. Strangers were smiling at each other.

A true Alberta winter (and we haven't had one in some time) leaves people exhausted and longing for reprieve....we Albertans find ourselves longing for a moment of not wearing our parkas and our winter boots. We become tired of the extra weight of all of the clothes. When the sun comes out in March, and the snow begins to melt we sense reprieve. We sense an end to the intensity of our winter. We aren't so naive as to believe that it will stay this warm; but we know, now, that any more snow and cold that follows will be followed with melting. We can see spring right around the corner!