9. Spring

Since I have been nurturing gratitude for things in my head lately, without putting them down on paper, or rather, through the Blogosphere/Twitterworld, today is the day I make two gratifying posts :P

And now that spring's upon us, I am feeling extra grateful.

This is the first year that I have realized one sign of spring is that you can hear birds chirping outside. It might be cold, and the weather might still be in limbo, snowing one day, and shining warm and bright the next, but the birds start chirping, and you know winter's almost over, and spring is 'bursting' forth. It's great to sit in your room, or walk outside, and hear birds chirping, it really is. Not only that, I have started noticing that I have renewed energy in revving up my physical activity, be it jogging, taking a long stroll, going to the Y, etc. March is almost like New Year's Resolutions reaffirmed - if all your resolutions started dwindling in February under the dreariness of grey clouds and the cold of winter - spring is when you feel rejuvenated, again. In my case, I have started making salads, enjoying the fresh crispiness of spinach without having to worry about being too cold, and thereby needing something more substantial, like a warm entree.

So, thank you spring, and may you last long, before smouldering summer comes along...