Today, the roomie* convinced me to get out of the house and go for a hike. The term 'hike' may have been oversold a bit - really, it was a walk/trudge through snow drifts up at the state park that we're fortunate enough to have 20 minutes away and still operational, no thanks to the former (thank goodness) hapless governor of New York State. It was a balmy 25 degrees today, but the sun was shining, which is all that matters this time of year.
I always struggle as January rolls into February and March. The holidays are over, the days are short, it's cold and gray outside, and summer seems too far away. My daily dose of necessary sunshine is few and far between, and i find it hard to escape the winter blues. But days like today make it worthwhile. This particular park is pretty much a zoo on any given weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day. But in the dead of winter, it's quiet. The tracks of the brave locals (deer, rabbits, raccoon, whatever) crisscross through the landscape, and you can spend hours there, only to see maybe a few other intrepid humans. It seems as though we all move with more respect for the wilderness at this time of year, while it sleeps. As if it's more fragile, breakable, when really, what we're witnessing is the true resilience and hardiness of nature. (Trust me - today I saw some of the absolute fattest birds I've ever seen in my entire life. What are they eating up there????)
When I'm at this place, I always look out past the cliff's edge to the city that I call home, and I'm filled with a rush of affection, which always surprises me. If you told me fifteen years ago that I would be content to grow roots here, I would have laughed in your face. But now, today, I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be.
*"roomie" is my quasi-affectionate term for my fiance, a word I'm not 100% comfortable with yet. Just wait until I have to start calling him my 'husband'. Yikes.
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