A Change of Season and a Change of Heart

Through the blinds, I can see the sky, the canvas on which pine branches are splashed in sharp green shades. It is an icy blue, hesitant to glow in this chill early morning. A slight wind blows, bending past the glass window through which I longingly gaze. “Where are you going?” it asks, beckoning me along. Nowhere, I think with a mental sigh. Trapped in a classroom, staring at a dull desk, daring to hope for imminent rescue. “Come along, then!” cry the birds. Oh, how I wish I could…The sunshine, in its radiance, smiles through the blinds. “Look at this beautiful day we’ve made just for you!” Oh, I know, I know! I silently whimper. How I long to enjoy it! What a pity it is to be stuck inside of a classroom, not even doing any work because all of mine is finished, simply itching and suffocating inside! Oh, what is the use? What is the use in desperately forcing a lovely book down the throats of idiots, yelling and scolding away when, outside, the world awaits? The lovely day, it was made just for me. But, oh, how trapped I am.

Winter has always been my favorite season. This was mostly brought about by my love for Christmas. But I also love rainy days, cold weather, hot cocoa, scarves and gloves, cuddling under blankets. I have always been very resistant to the cold weather and it has never much bothered me. But winter was so long this year. The cold weather dragged on, the rainy days soaked my clothes and left me trapped inside for so long. There were no walks to take, no adventures to go on. Just me and winter locked in an icy dream that seemed to go on forever.

I’ve never considered Autumn or Spring potentials for favorite seasons. They’re very nice ideas, but they just get lost in the transitions from season to season. Spring is that season that gets eaten up when winter hands over and, once winter has passed, we simply wait around to see if its hot enough to call it Summer yet. Fall happens, but people hardly notice it because everything is starting again. School, activities, rehearsals, etc. It’s a nice season, but it’s just a waiting period, a gradual til into the next extreme.

All in all, I find myself more and more enamored with Summer these days. It’s lighter later, so I can go on walks alone. I suppose I never factored this in before because I’ve only recently started going around town by myself. I’ll start bothering to do my hair soon, because the wind won’t mess it up. I can lounge in my room in shorts and a bra, simply enjoying the freedom of bare shoulders and shaven legs. I’m less resistant to the cold now and I find that being cold is so exhausting. To be hot is so easy. Simply strip and lay down. There are so many adventures to be had in the summer, so much time to be spent in the warmth of a summer evening. I’m beginning to love more and more that lazy, heavy contentedness that comes with each summer day, lined the buzzing excitement that says “You’re free. You can do anything, go anywhere…” In the summer, the world is at my feet.

Therefore, my dear Winter, do not find yourself disgraced by my infidelity! For I still hold in close affection your sweet, rushing winds and the freshness of the earth beneath your pelting storms. When, next year, you should creep in past your autumn veil to ice the dew once more, I shall be grateful for the change. I shall applaud your entrance, for Summer will have become tiring. But I cannot deny that the thought of Summer now fills me with a joy and excitement I had not felt before. Summer, I feel, is my new desire.