LEAP DAY

The quadrennial February day fell on a Saturday this year, so it really was like having an extra day. And after the rainy, cold, dreary January and February we’ve had, the warm sunny day was an extra blessing.

            This morning my eyes popped open to sunlight coming through the bedroom shade. Remembering it was Saturday, I rolled over, intent on staying another half-hour at least. But my brain had already registered sunlight!

            My desk was a mess. More than twelve hours later, it still is. My to-do list didn’t get a single check mark today. Oh, but my heart did.

            After what felt like months of drizzly, windy, too-cold-to-stick-my-head-outside weather, here was a day just shouting, “Come out and play!” We spent the morning in our neglected yard, raking, pruning, burning. After a few hours we shed the jackets and worked in short sleeves.

            While raking, I discovered one tiny purple hyacinth and a brilliant yellow crocus peeking through the dead leaves and brown grass. Daffodils bloomed in patches all around the yard, sunny yellow and full of hope. Tiny leaves covered the branches of the weeping willow. The purple plum tree offered a few tiny pinkish-white blooms. The crisp air smelled clean and refreshing, alive.

            The yard work will never be finished, of course. But that’s not really what today was about. Today was about renewal, recharging. Reminding myself that Spring is coming, and that I should never allow myself to get too busy to appreciate a sunny Saturday in February.

            I hope you made the most of your Leap Day.