That First Warm Day

The American Black Bear has the unique ability to hibernate during the cold winter months.  They stay inside their dens sleeping for as long at 100 days straight, and emerge only when spring arrives….kind of like Michiganders.

Each year, around the end of February, I find myself waking up each morning asking, “Why the hell do I live here in such a cold-dreary place?”  I’ll usually spend at least one full week diligently searching the Craigslist “Housing for Rent” section in warm, sunny places, like California or Arizona.  And then, just like that, ironically, always the one day I wake up not thinking about the snow and sleet and cold…the first warm day comes.

If you live in Michigan, like me, you may experience many “first warm days” before you experience the official FIRST WARM DAY.  The agony of unpacking your winter coat and boots from storage for the 5th time that month is immediately forgotten when you get the sense that this warm day is the real deal and winter is finally gone.

This is the feeling I got yesterday as I happily left my winter coat at home and took Zayden out for our first long walk of the year.  Everyone we passed had this cheesy “summer’s coming” grin on their face.  The sidewalks were populated with screaming children, who have an entire winter’s worth of pent up energy to release.  Homeowners were outside in their yards trying to make it pretty again.  The car washes were full.   I even actually smelled BBQ in the air.  Yep, it was a finer thing.

You people in the south just wouldn’t understand…