Ah, the spring...my favorite season of all. All that's missing is some Antonio Vivaldi. However, what always trips me out about the Vernal Equinox aka "The First Day of Spring" is that it rarely feels like spring, and Sunday proved that as it was snowing in certain parts of the East Coast. Nonetheless, I was ecstatic to know that winter--which oddly enough was my favorite season as a kid--was taking all of the hats, gloves and booties with it. As was the case, I was on my way to work yesterday and realized that I still hadn't figured out my "Rave & Favorite Five" for today--despite having literally typed out a nine-pages-and-counting document of bullet-point ideas that should keep this series going for at least the next year and a half. Suddenly, seeing the sun high in the sky and knowing that the weather was about to gradually get warmer, it's like God gave me an alley-oop for an off-script concept. Hence, I present to you my five favorite things about spring. So as some of you are dreading having to buy stock in Claritin and Allegra over the next month or two, allow me to share what makes spring so awesome in this "2-for-1 Tuesday Special" of my "Rave & Favorite Five" as well as the "11th Hour Post of the Week". (I know that my continuous generosity is more than you can handle, but try to contain yourself there, buckaroo.) Just try not to hock too loudly or sneeze too disgustingly on your smartphone, tablet or computer screen as your allergies flare up at the thought of this first thing...
#5 EVERYTHING BEGINS TO BLOSSOM. Unlike my younger brother and one of my best friends/brothers from another mother, I have been blessed not to have spring allergies. Consequently, that may allow me to have a higher appreciation for the beautiful botanical display that spring has to offer. I might sound like a reefer-toting hippie for saying this, but I have always loved when roses, tulips, dandelions and sunflowers start showing their colors. Living in D.C. has enhanced that appreciation, especially considering that people actually travel from all over the world and spend days on end for the Cherry Blossom Festival--although like many native Washingtonians in my age group, I have never been to an actual parade. (Pretty pitiful, but you try dealing with all of those people hijacking your sidewalks and streets.) When those first buds sprout from tree branches, I can understand why an arborist might be ready to whip and Nae-Nae. However, the reason that nature's growth spurts are low on my list is because of the downsides. First, nothing annoys most people about spring more than the hideous sight of pollen on a freshly-washed vehicle. It might seem a little vain and even unappreciative of spring's process, but no one wants to go to the car wash or have to stand outside on a Saturday or Sunday several times in a week because of that nasty green film. Second, although I love seeing a well-manicured lawn, field or pasture, I absolutely abhor the smell of fresh cut grass. Always have. Always will. It's not as bad as the smell of manure or spoiled milk, but it's not too far down on the scale of annoying odors. Regardless of those cons, the pros of spring in bloom are amazing because of what they signify: the cold is no longer an excuse to wither away or retreat, so it's time to start getting out and being present...
#4 WARMER WEATHER. So when Mrs. Scribbler and I attended a location wedding in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in 2013, it was late spring and the weather was perfect for doing everything including swimming, jet skiing, walking along the beach, fishing and outdoor dining. During the warmest parts of the day, the temperature was anywhere between 75 and 85 degrees, which couldn't be any better. At night, it was ideal sleeping weather as the temp probably didn't dip below 55 degrees. Bringing it back home, spring weather rocks more than any other season because of all of the activities that it encourages, i.e., more barbecues, festivals, outdoor concerts, sporting events, etc. Also, because summer is too hot, fall is too cool and winter is just a hard "no", spring provides the perfect weather for rolling down the windows, blasting the music a little more and cruising through the city. Heck, that's even better if you're fortunate enough to have a drop-top or a motorcycle. However, my only qualms with spring weather are twofold: 1) I'm not as much of a fan of the fashion that spring forces me to wear versus fall fashion, which has always reigned king to me; and 2) the month of April. I know...April showers bring May flowers...blah blah blah...but when a month makes me want to sleep through it when I have to work and do anything that requires actual effort, then it's not going to naturally be my favorite month of the year. All things considered, those are minor flaws in an otherwise blemish-free season of the sun beaming on your face with a warmth that might give you a few more beads of sweat, but you probably won't be looking like Alonzo Mourning at the free throw line...
#3 MORE HOURS OF DAYLIGHT. The best thing about when Daylight Savings Time "falls back" every November is that extra hour of sleep. The worst thing, however, is that it gets dark earlier. I cannot begin to tell you how depressing that is when you say goodbye to two entire seasons of daylight until between 7 and 9 p.m. and hello to colder weather. Truth be told, that's more motivation to stay inside during my "lunch" break and work, and who needs more motivation to work?!?! Meh. Conversely, although you lose an hour of sleep in March when DST "springs forward"--personally, I slept about ten hours the last time--there is nothing like later sunsets. Whether it's a walk through Hains Point, an impromptu sightseeing excursion along The Mall, a cruise along I-295 listening to the The Original Quiet Storm or an evening on the town with friends after happy hour, sunset just feels more picturesque and natural when it's after 7 like Babyface's brothers. When I temporarily switched my hours to the 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. shift, there was a big difference in my disposition when I left work and the sun was still out versus the fall and winter when I had already missed sunset. I don't know about you, but the combination of sunlight and good weather just motivates me to be out and about--which is the perfect setup for this...
#2 PEOPLE COME OUT OF THE WOODWORKS. There are very few scenes that are more awesome in life than when the weather gets warmer and people emerge from their hiding places. Between seeing people congregating at the U.S. Navy Memorial at lunchtime; street bands playing for some of the biggest crowds in front of the Verizon Center; outdoorsy types running, jogging, walking or biking along the Mall; and hundreds of people playing everything from softball to volleyball to football to futbol, working in the heart of downtown D.C. makes this even more of a sight for sore eyes. Always having been an automobile enthusiast, it's always dope when someone rides by in something like a '74 Cutlass or an '86 Monte Carlo SS and that thang is as clean as holy water, or a delegation of motorcyclists cruise down I-95 in their Harley Davidsons. However, perhaps the best sight of all is the one that might get me shot, stabbed, jacked, hit with a bat or beat up for saying it: spring brings out "de wimminz". Now I could go on and on about stuff like Spring Break and women in bikinis, but that's just way too typical and the year 2000. It would even be in the repertoire of my appreciation to gush over seeing women show off their fresh pedicures, but that's only part and parcel of the reason why spring is the most wonderful time of the year as far as bringing out the ladies. Three words will have every man in total agreement with drool spilling from the side of their mouths like Homer Simpson: it's sundress season. Nuff said. Yet and still, this last reason is even more personal than the most divine piece of fabric hugging the curves of the most shapely sistas...
#1 THE LONG WALKS. I know, I know...how can I pick walks after just having a Melvin Van Peebles Boomerang moment over sundresses?!?! Peep my logic for a second...so let's just say that you book that super bad chick in the sundress. To prove that you're not some kind of creep-a-zoid, you need a plan of action to at least give her the impression that you can do something other than pick your nose, scratch your behind and play Call of Duty all night. So what is one of the most inexpensive, but intimate things that you can do other than "Netflix & chill"? (You knew that disclaimer was necessary.) Easy: get on your Jill Scott flow. Whether you prefer a slow, brisk or moderate pace, it's an ideal way for two people to enjoy each other's company in nice weather without phones, televisions or other electronic distractions. The woman who's still the hopeless romantic will think that you might have a chivalrous bone in your body after all--or at least a bone other than the one that you're trying to subdue because that sundress is hugging those curves so gorgeously. (Insert the Mad Cobra "LAWWWWWD" from "Flex" for dramatic effect.)
As for me, the long walk is my ultimate loner moment for serenity, nostalgia and introspect, and nothing encourages me to hit that pavement more than the comfort of springtime. During the last full summer before I moved out of my mother's house, I used to walk at night from Martin Luther King, Jr., Avenue in Southeast to either the South Capitol Street Bridge before it was refurbished and Nationals Park was built or all the way down to the Southwest Waterfront when they still had clubs like H2O and Zanzibar. However, once I moved, I wisely traded in summer streetlights for spring sunlight and changed walking environments from Anacostia and the Waterfront to Temple Hills and Oxon Hill. Although I'd take my two-and-a-half-hour strolls regardless of the season, spring was always my favorite because I wasn't sweating like an overworked slave or frozen to the point where somebody asked me if I wanted to build a snowman. Those 75 degrees of warmth radiating from the sun on my face with my carefully-crafted soundtrack in my ear was as euphoric as it could possibly get. Now that I live in Silver Spring, it's not quite the same, but I do manage to join all of the runners, joggers, bikers and athletes on The Mall and walk off the stress of the workday, and there's no better season to kick my beloved tradition into high gear than the spring.
As for me, the long walk is my ultimate loner moment for serenity, nostalgia and introspect, and nothing encourages me to hit that pavement more than the comfort of springtime. During the last full summer before I moved out of my mother's house, I used to walk at night from Martin Luther King, Jr., Avenue in Southeast to either the South Capitol Street Bridge before it was refurbished and Nationals Park was built or all the way down to the Southwest Waterfront when they still had clubs like H2O and Zanzibar. However, once I moved, I wisely traded in summer streetlights for spring sunlight and changed walking environments from Anacostia and the Waterfront to Temple Hills and Oxon Hill. Although I'd take my two-and-a-half-hour strolls regardless of the season, spring was always my favorite because I wasn't sweating like an overworked slave or frozen to the point where somebody asked me if I wanted to build a snowman. Those 75 degrees of warmth radiating from the sun on my face with my carefully-crafted soundtrack in my ear was as euphoric as it could possibly get. Now that I live in Silver Spring, it's not quite the same, but I do manage to join all of the runners, joggers, bikers and athletes on The Mall and walk off the stress of the workday, and there's no better season to kick my beloved tradition into high gear than the spring.
So since y'all know this is meant to be an interactive post, please don't hesitate to share your favorite things about or even specific memories of spring. Don't forget to come back next week for my latest "Rave & Favorite Five" post, which I have figured out but won't tell y'all until then. (I know, I know...the suspense is killing you!)
Side eye. But I love it.
ReplyDeleteA side eye is better than a black eye, so I'll take it :-)!
Delete