A little sunshine

             I love those almost-spring, sunny days, the ones that give you a glimmer of hope after the long winter. Spring is not my favorite season, but I still love it. I love all the seasons – and I’m happy I live in a place where we can experience them all. The reason spring isn’t my favorite is because it always makes me just a little sad. I am reminded of the things I used to do, like playing softball and taking long, brisk walks. I can still walk, but honestly, not as easily as I used to. People with fibromyalgia often talk about their “pre-fibro life,” before they were always tired and always in pain. I try not to dwell on it, but spring reminds me.

            I love my childhood memories of springtime. Winters in Wilbur are a bit longer than in the Tri-Cities. The spring flowers don’t bloom as early, but they last longer. The poor lilacs in my Kennewick yard barely have time to be appreciated before they begin to turn brown and die. I miss the lilacs in Wilbur.

        When I was a kid, I loved when we could “spring forward” and start playing outside in the evenings before dinner. I can still smell my mom’s cooking, wafting through the open kitchen window as I made my way home from the schoolyard in time for dinner. I was lucky.

          As a young mom I loved being outside with my kids, waiting in the yard as they rode their bikes around the block. I miss those times with my kids. I miss having a ‘family.’ Now it is just my husband and I, the cat and the dog. I love them all, but I miss the activity of having kids around.

Sunshine is always good, whether it is reminding you of the past, or filling you up with the promise of new days. I’ll take it.