Sun Day

Yesterday was technically Tuesday but after more than a solid week of greyness, it was also Sun Day. As a native Southern Californian, I grew up thinking sunshine was my birthright. I get just a bit cranky when I don’t have it for more than 4 days in a row. After 24 straight hours of rain on Monday, including thunder, lightning, wind, and a tornado that touched down 50 miles north of me, I was desperately in need of a change.

When I opened the blinds yesterday morning and saw blindingly blue skies, I couldn’t wait to get out there and enjoy it. I rushed down the road to the boardwalk leading to the beach, anxious to not miss a moment of sunshine. When I felt the warmth of the sun hit my face, I stopped for a long moment, enjoying how utterly warm and perfectly right it felt. I had forgotten that sunshine can be warmth as well as light.

I brought my Sony with the Lensbaby Sol45 lens and had a blast taking photos. It felt like so much like summer that  even this little plover was bouncing with excitement.

I walked an hour south, then turned around and walked another hour north. At the turnaround point, I stripped off my fleece sweatshirt and enjoyed walking back wearing just a t-shirt and light trousers. Oh, the promise of summer days never felt stronger!

The remnants of Monday’s storm were still in evidence, from the crashing surf to the foam at the water’s edge. No shells, no sea stars, just a lot of foam. And a lot of people, too. We were all out there, drawn to the light and warmth of the day.

If you’re cold, surrounded by piles of snow or having buckets of rain where you are, this post is for you. Spring really will come, that sun will shine on your face, too. Winter clothes will be once again relegated to the closet as short sleeves, sandals, and sunhats take over. It happens every year. It will happen this year, too.

Just not quite yet.

You think winter will never end, and then, when you don’t expect it, when you have almost forgotten it, warmth comes and a different light.

Wendell Berry