Reflections on…a morning jog. AND…spring?

Wow. I cannot begin to describe how energized and wonderful I feel this morning. I got up to birds (other than crows!) chirping outside my window, a bright and cheery sun bold against a clear blue sky, and the most beautifully warm weather we’ve had since the onset of winter back in October. It may only be 50 degrees, but it feels like it’s 80! Armed with a light jacket and warm running pants, I laced up my running shoes and went for a jog down the street to a nearby park where I admired a flock of lazy ducks happily sploshing around in the ponds. Muscles I had forgotten about began to wake up and my entire body strained at having lacked attention for so long. My thighs are already thanking me but my mind and my heart feel so much lighter.
The whole town of Syracuse seemed to have come out of a deep sleep. People were out walking their dogs, some accompanied by strollers or toddlers trotting to keep up, a few couples walking arm-in-arm aimlessly ambling down the now-dry and clear sidewalks. Others were out clearing away the broken branches and debris of winter from their gardens. I couldn’t help but want to pinch myself and make sure I wasn’t dreaming!!

After longs week of crazy paper-writing, midterms, group presentations, and TERRIBLY COLD days with biting winds, constant snow storms, and dismally gray skies hiding the sun, it seems that Syracuse is finally beginning to thaw. In all honesty, I’m afraid to even publish this blog in fear that I’m going to jinx my new-found freedom from the lock-down of winter. All the warnings of bad weather and harsh winters somehow didn’t deter me from coming here (just as the warnings of brutal heat and the meltdown of Paraguay didn’t stop me either). And, it didn’t seem real until after I returned from Christmas break and lived the day-to-day drudgery of highs in the 20s alongside brutish winds and humidity that sent the cold straight to my bones. I started planning my day based on how long I would have to be outside—wearing my thermal pants or an extra layer if I had to go to the library because it would mean an additional 10 minutes exposed to the cold. I dreaded even the 10 steps from my front door to my car. That was all it took to shake up my body heat and flush the blood from my nose and tops of my ears. It may sound extreme, but yesterday was literally the first day that I’ve gone outside without gloves and maintained feeling in my fingertips!!!

So, on this momentous day I figured I would take some time to sit and write how good I feel and wonderful the simple pleasure of taking a morning jog can be. It could be that Spring is yet to arrive and this is just another teaser before we get hammered by the ominous Noreasters. But, I’m grateful for it nonetheless.