Bright Sun, Deep Sea, Open Heart

I’m sitting on a patio outside, the clacking of my typing fingers mingling with the sounds of happily chirping birdies and a spraying fountain just beyond. A few children are screaming from the pool – it is 8:43 in the morning and they have gotten an early start on the day, just as we have gotten an early start on summer by doing what so many Snow Bird Canadians have done before us. Immediately following a mind-numbing week of exam after exam, we have retreated from oppressive winter skies to the pulsing heat of central Florida for Reading Week.

A bird has just settled on a branch directly across from my line of vision and I swear we just shared profound eye contact. My heart fluttered as he flapped his wings and flew away.

We too will be flying away, all too soon. I woke up to a text from United Airlines this morning telling me cheerily it was time to check-in for our flight home. We have had a magical week here, but all good things must come to an end, and after a week of rejuvenation I truly feel ready to take on the back half of winter with a wider smile on my face. There’s a little more color on our skin, so we both look and feel more alive.

There’s just something about warmth, something about the freedom to walk around outside without spending ten minutes bundling yourself up, something about bright colors – pink stucco walls, vibrant green palm trees – that does wonders for the soul. This little break has reminded us of what is to come and what we have to look forward to. In the middle of winter it is easy to forget how good summer feels, and it has been so good for us to be reminded.

We’re ready for you now, Montreal (but we’ll take this last day and love it).