Spring Dreamin'

I feel like a bear that has emerged from his cave at the end of winter, yawning and blinking the sunlight out of its eyes. The birds have begun to chirp outside the window of my bedroom, the ice on the lawn has started to melt, and thick winter jackets are giving way to cut-offs and short sleeves. It is truly a time of rebirth and revival, and, like the warm sun in the cloudless sky, I find myself rising to meet the new world. It is a time to try new things.

With this sentiment in mind, I will be trying a new activity tomorrow. Never before have I organized the staple activity of springtime bumminess: the barbeque. I will be assuming the time-honored roll of "grill master," complete with large, threatening tongs and an obnoxious "kiss the cook" apron. The excuse I am using to grill is the home opener for the local baseball team, for which many of my friends play. I am excited because, frankly, I have only benefited from instead of contributed to the noble pastime of cooking raw meat in totally random places.

However, this BBQ means much more to me than a (very) delicious meal. To me, it is the pistol shot that signifies the beginning of spring. I am a very weather-sensitive person; I have a sneaking suspicion that I have some form of seasonal depression. For the coming of the spring the barbaques, the relaxed atmosphere, and the loose clothing all signifies a turn of the page within my mind. I am no longer a person under a dark, oppressive veil of clouds that squashes all kinds of happiness. Now I am back to the person I was before I moved to the cold climate in which I now reside. This transition to spring reminds me of my younger years spent in a warm climate, happy. The warmth of the social and literal atmosphere around me represents a regression into ignorant happiness, a place of perfect content. With this, this barbeque is much more than me trying out something new; I am taking the initiative to become the happy individual that has been missing all winter.