Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Spring has sprung, and the world is waking up after a long winter’s nap. Leaves are budding on bare tree branches. Brown remnants of last year’s grass is turning green. Bird are happily chirping while temps are climbing back into the no-jackets-needed range.
Meanwhile, I’m here in a doldrum of Springtime lethargy. Seemingly moving with the exuberance of a lowly snail. When the rest of the world is coming alive, why do my feet feel like they’re embedded in concrete-filled buckets?
This early spring doldrums has been fairly constant over my life. Even when I’ve lived in places that don’t seem to have four seasons. Like San Diego, for example, with it’s two seasons of “Hot and Dry” versus “Cool and Wet.” Or Hawaii, which distinguishes winter from summer by height of the north shore surf.
A Warm Weather Person
Given the years I spent in warm moderate climates such as San Diego, California; Naples, Italy; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; and then on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; I grew acclimated to warm. This may seem strange as I grew up in New York with it’s very distinct four seasons cycling between bitter cold to beach-weather hot. My first several years living in San Diego I never even owned a jacket. I would scoff at the “locals” wearing heavy coats in sub-60 degree weather. Then, suddenly, after several years living there, I discovered outside temps under 70 was – cold.
Since moving here in Northern Virginia I at least have an outside excuse for being lethargic. Come mid-March, the weather teases me. We’ll go a few sunny days of temps in the high-60s and I’m thinking “All Right!” Then, usually on a weekend when I’m planning an outdoor adventure, the weather turns cold and nasty. Cycle, repeat, until sometime around end of April.
On the flip side; after not planning anything for a weekend, we’ll have a gorgeous day and I’m caught moping around the house pissed off because I’m wasting an opportunity.
Prepping Sea Dragon
Another irritation of Spring weather is getting my boat “Sea Dragon” ready for the season. I store the boat out in my driveway under several layers of tarps. I always do my annual maintenance in the beginning of the boating season as once the weather is good I want to be out on the water. Given the nature of every year I have some reasonably significant project to do. So weather is a factor in how soon I can start my annual boating projects. Which equates to how soon I can get Sea Dragon out on the water where she (and I) really belong.
So watching the weather, waiting to start my annual boat projects, turns into slow-acting torture.
Gardening Support
Winnie does not suffer the same Springtime Doldrums I have. On any given warm day she’ll be out working in her garden on something. During the summer months she’s pretty self-contained and doesn’t need my help. Actually, she’s learned to keep me away from anything she’s growing on account that I’m likely to damage something. However, in the early Spring before anything is alive she needs my muscle power. So, on the rare nice day I can expect to be hauling a trailer-load of compost or helping her set fence poles. Which takes priority over just about anything else.
The good thing is Winnie pushing me into gardening work helps get me past my lethargic doldrums. The bad thing is that while I’m hauling compost I’m also thinking of the many Springtime chores I want to do, which I don’t have the energy to start.
Family Affair?
I often wonder if this Springtime lethargy is inherited? My maternal Grandfather (““) used to not talk to anyone for a couple of weeks each Spring. Us kids called it “Opa’s Spring Fever.” He wouldn’t be ignoring folks, or pretend that no one was around him. He just, wouldn’t talk. I could never get away with not talking to Winnie for a couple of weeks, and I sometimes wonder how my Opa could pull that off with .
A Burst of Energy
There’s no real, deep, insight into any of this. I just know I’ve been dragging, trying to get up my motivation to do something away from my keyboard and TV. Based on past performance I’m sure that at some point I’ll suddenly feel a surge of energy and motivate myself back into my normally busy self. Meanwhile, I guess I’ll continue to mop around the house, occasionally sticking my head outside to check for warmth.
Summer will come.
