Routine

There are the little things in life that fascinate me. Just the simple things I have developed over the years that I can't break free from.

Funny how this train of thought started because of the weather. I had remembered just how predictable weather is in the Mid-Atlantic. It's cold from November until March with nor'easters packed with snow, rain, and a lot of clouds and wind. Once April comes around until September, the temperatures rapidly rise, and then the cold fronts come from the west, bringing squall line after squall line of strong thunderstorms. October begins that transition period into the cold, and it begins again.

For almost 23 years now I have experienced this cycle. Part of me never wants to leave it because it seems so familiar. Once April comes around, it's like an old friend has graced me with their presence. The warmth is so inviting. Life hits the restart button.

Every season has a feeling...a particular memory style to go with it. I wouldn't say a specific memory, but an associated feeling...something that I have done every single year at this time. The feeling of air conditioning after a hot day...the rush of tracking a thunderstorm rolling in...playing games as I put off schoolwork...hanging out with the same friends, doing the same things...it's all so familiar.

I remember writing about how much I'll miss it once my life moves along, and yeah, I definitely will. There's a routine about Pennsylvania that is so familiar that it will be heartbreaking to leave it. Most of my close family is rooted here. This is where they are. My destiny might not be here, but elsewhere. I'll have to meet this new routine "friend" with open arms.

I've seen friends move away and have to deal with an entirely different set of circumstances. They probably don't think of it like this, and that's fine. They don't have to. Me, for whatever reason...I have to. That's just part of the experience of being me, I guess.

As the flowers bloom, my inspiration follows. It goes cold with the weather. A newfound confidence arises as everything changes. Perhaps the 11 months of seeming failure was meant to happen. Perhaps the rebirth of life around me means the rebirth of my life into something meaningful. Perhaps that's just the way it is.

I'll enjoy every day. It's all a matter of a routine.