I can see clearly now…

the cold is gone.  Ah, it’s amazing what a little tropical air can do for the soul.  I am not a winter person.  People are baffled by this because I loved living Alaska, but Alaska winter and St. Louis winter are two completely different things.  When winter hits in Alaska (in September), life doesn’t slow down.  People don’t stay indoors.  Schools don’t close.  Food doesn’t fly off the shelves in a frenzied panic over a forecasted six inches of snow.  Life goes on.  In St. Louis, everything seems to come to a screeching halt in the winter.  I feel like I’ve spent the last month in some sort of hibernation.  All my plans for soap projects, posting soaps in the shop, making labels, etc. fell to the wayside as seasonal affective disorder crept in. 

Historically, February has always been my worst month and this February stayed true to course.  Thank the Lord for generous parents and a well-timed cruise to the Caribbean!  Even though I came back to the cold, it wasn’t AS cold and I can see clear signs of spring: daffodils peeking through the soil, buds on the Bradford Pear trees, even the lawn is looking slightly greener.  I sowed my first round of seeds today in anticipation of our last frost in mid-April.

I cling to these signs of spring and watch the buds form on the trees everyday.  I take joy in every extra minute of daylight.  And I hope that these signs of spring are just the inspirations I need to become productive again.