Optimism and fresh air

It feels like spring.

The air is warm. The sun is shining. There is a threat of rain.

It's the best time of the year.

Everything seems new and optimistic. The sun makes the stress melt away.

My daughter sits in her stroller with her sunglasses on, smiling and barking back at the dogs as we take a walk around the neighborhood. Her bad mood and teething pain has seemed to disappear.

I open a window for the cat. She breathes in the fresh air and gives me an appreciative meow.

And even though the snow is still on the ground in patches and the grass is brown and muddy, everything about the day screams spring and all it represents.