Eternal Sunshine and the Mind

For  most of yesterday it was quite cold (50'sF/10C) and rainy. The rain turned heavy overnight and this morning there was a lovely dusting of snow in the nearby hills! The sun was out and everything looked so sparkly and pretty. A swift-moving storm hit and was gone, followed by more glowing sun. It's things like this that make you appreciate the weather here. Everyone is always so happy after some extended rain when the sun comes out. People tend to pause outdoors just taking it in...the fresh air and sun warming one's face. It's like  an unexpected holiday courtesy of nature.

Living in the land of eternal sunshine, one becomes a bit numb about the sun and starts taking it for granted. It reminds me of my post about my water heater and how you don't appreciate something till it's gone. Give Angelenos several days to a week of rain and cloudy skies, you'll find most of the population gets very grumpy and depressed. The people who move here can't deal with winter gloom, they're not cut out for the northern climes. Can you imagine how much more Prozac and Wellbutrin would be needed to live with months of grey/white winter skies? That's the whole point of moving here, but as I said one can become numb to good weather.

Here, when the sun finally bursts forth, people are almost  giddy with delight. Look at me, I'm rhapsodizing about the weather! It's the kind of giddiness that I used to feel when I lived in the Midwest and Spring had finally, really arrived. Forsythia, lilacs and other flowering shrubs had tender little flower buds popping on bare branches. The grass was greening up and you could actually wear shorts outside. Never mind that it was only 53 degrees outside! Shorts! Sandals weren't far behind!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's a freakingly gorgeous day and I wish I could share this happy feeling with everyone!