What Spring Means to Me. #ListifyLife Challenge Week One

I love spring! Texas is amazing this time of year because the weather is absolutely gorgeous (until it's not-see below) and every thing feels fresh and new. For me, spring means hope. When I was teaching, spring break was the tiny glimmer of light at the end of the torturous tunnel that is January to March. Spring meant I'd made it. The dreariness of winter and the dredge-like monotony of those school days vanished.

The sun is out. The air is warm. We're going to be okay. 

This year, I'm investing in that hope more than ever. Fall and Winter were a blur of endless care-taking and the deep suffering of the soul that comes with watching someone you love in pain.

The pain is over. The sun is out. And, eventually, I'm going to be okay. 

And then, there's this: 

A reminder that, as my dad would say, "We ain't running nothing around here." 

Spring in Texas is always punctuated by the unpredictability of the weather. In the afternoon, it's sunny, warm with just a hint of cold air in the breeze. Just enough to make you wonder if you should throw on a sweatshirt. Within a few short hours, you're standing in your kitchen listening to what might be hail or might be aliens launching an invasion through your skylight. Could really go either way. I could make another life metaphor here but it's way too obvious. 

Last one: 

Scarborough Renaissance Festival

My husband and I have been going to this festival since we were dating. It only runs from Easter to Memorial Day but you want to go early in the season so you don't risk heat stroke. The first year we went, we sat down to watch one show and I was instantly sunburned from my thighs to my knees. Being the chivalrous type, Scott immediately took me to the first aid tent.  The lady eyed my red hair and pale skin that borders on translucent then produced the biggest container of sunscreen I've ever seen in my life.

"Use as much as you need and come back whenever you can."

Now, we take our teenagers (and our own sunscreen). I always look forward to a day of hanging with my family as well as the people watching. It is an endless well of inspiration. 

So, that's what spring means to me! 

To find out more about the #ListifyLife Challenge, check out Roni Loren's Blog.