I like how this feels

Photo by the amazing talented, gorgeous and wonderful Jenica

I like how this New Year feels. It's early yet, the year is starting off in sleep. The longer nights, the shorter days whisper that it's time to rest, to regroup, to prepare for bold things ahead. I feel like I am standing on the cusp of something grand, waving my dreams around like a banner, casting my doubts aside to drop where they may. I like how my friends are throwing themselves into their lives with renewed passion; picking words, setting intentions. I like how this new year feels.

I'm like how I'm looking forward to each new season.

I like how it feels to finally begin to enjoy winter. Although we may never be close friends, I am making my peace with winter. I'm finding myself willing to spend some time in the icy air, spend some days on the snow, carving down the mountains or listening to my daughter squeal with delight as we race down a hillside on her sled. I love watching her dance under the snowflakes and trample through the unmarked snow, setting out on an undiscovered adventure that is limited only by her imagination. I love sharing this with her. Memorizing how she looks at me with wide eyes; amazed by the beauty we are surrounded by, thrilled by her own bravery. Yes, i'm beginning to enjoy winter.

I like how it feels to wait for spring. I'm eagerly anticipating the first blossoming, when the world is tender and green, when the light is bright and new. The spring sunrises bring with them the promise of new life and new beginnings. An untested world is uncovered as the snow melts in uneven patches, revealing the resilient blooms that nestled deep in the ground all winter, planted there by a gardener who waits and watches to see the results of her labor. I, too, watch for these to bloom, the colors seem to declare that it's time to open, time to move ahead. This prompts me to do the same. To open. To bloom. To move ahead. Yes, I am waiting for spring.

I like how it feels to think about summer. Ah...summer. The heat beckons, bringing to mind the sultry smell of sweat and sunscreen and the shouts of children running through sprinklers. Summer means morning bike rides and long beach days, afternoons spent lounging on front porches, evenings spent watching the stars, embraced by the blanket of cool grass. Summer is outdoor concerts and trampolines and water fights and hammocks. The music of giggles erupting from nonsensical songs, the sharing of stories, the sweet summer treats. Summer is time to play and play hard, before the serious business of school takes hold once again. Yes, I am thinking of summer.

I like how it feels to dream about fall. Autumn means sundrenched afternoons and cooler nights, flip flops and sweaters, the last big ride. It's football and tailgating, reveling in the shared enthusiasm over a game well-played. Fall is when creative magic happens, whether on an earthy New England lakeshore or a Sandy North Carolina beach, when kindred souls gather to teach and to give, to create and to learn. Fall is the time to work, to embrace the tasks and talents we've been given, to make the most of ourselves and give the most of ourselves. Yes, I am surely dreaming of fall.

I like how it feels to look ahead. To not be caught up in the minutiae of daily life, but to look forward to the brightness of something bigger, of something bolder, of something truer.

I like how it feels to love my life. To realize I have created this myself, for myself and for my daughter. A life that is full, that is rich, that gives us room to play and laugh and work and learn and live and create and love. To know that there is plenty of room in this life to grow.

I like how it feels to be me. To be happy. To be healthy. To be free. To be joyful. To be grateful. To be loved and to love with a deep, wide heart.

I like how this feels.