Sunday, March 27, 2011

John Denver had it right


When he said “Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy."

No truer words were ever spoken.

Every year when winter comes, for as far back as I can remember, I get into an awful funk. I get quiet (well, quiet for me), withdrawn, emotional, fat and sometimes even grumpy. I sit indoors , in the gray gloom of winter and pine for the brutally hot days of summer that I know will someday come, but feel like they never will.

 I’m a summer guy. Always have been and let’s face it, if you live in Sacramento, you kinda have to be.
The summers here are ridiculous. Yeah, I know, it’s a dry heat, but it’s dry like “you just walked into an oven” kinda dry. And you know what? I love it!

I love the smells of sunscreen and sweat, the look of my retarded cyclist’s tan lines -which as ridiculous as they are- make me proud to have. I love the smell of BBQ and pollen in the air. I love that I’ve traded all my sweaters, beanies and jackets for shorts, tee shirts and flip flops and that women have all done the same.

What’s not to like?

After I don’t know how many weeks of gray, cloudy, dark and rainy days, I woke up today to blue skies and for the first time in a long time, I actually smiled when I looked out the window.

I like to think of myself as a positive person, but I’m not going to get too giddy about this beautiful forecast just yet, as I have a feeling we’re not quite through with the rainy crap. But I think over the next few weeks, I’ll slowly be getting out of this dismal, wintry funk I’ve been struggling with and will get back to the fun, lovable, and (OMG) social person that I am.
I will warn you though, if April is a shitty, rainy month and you say “April showers bring May flowers”, you’re liable to get punched in the face.

I’d like to apologize to the friends I have that I haven’t been keeping up with. I know it’s a shitty excuse, but Old Man Winter really got the best of me this year and I promise, I’ll be annoying the crap out of you like I usually do soon enough.

For now, I’m going to put on my sorely neglected running shoes, some shorts and a shirt –that are too tight- and head out the door and try to burn off a bit of this winter flab I’ve accumulated.

Now I have that damn John Denver song stuck in my head. Ugh!

Peace.