Here comes the sun!

Springtime weather in Austin, TX feels like I'm living in a never-ending spring break. On weekend mornings, a comfortable 50 degrees and sunny, I sit by the pool behind my apartment, sip on my coffee, and read whatever novel I'm working through. Then, usually ten or fifteen minutes in, I look up from the page, glance at the chlorinated water, and think to myself, "This can't be right."

Growing up in the north when the phrase "75 degrees and sunny" was uttered out of anyone's mouth - especially my father's - the unspoken family motto was: Drop Everything and Run Outside. In Wisconsin, a 75 degree day could be followed by a light snow shower, so you better believe you'll take advantage of whatever's handed to you. Lunchtime? Bring it outside. We're probably grilling out anyway. Homework to do? We bought that picnic table for a reason, you know.

When my family went on spring break together, we rarely planned anything beyond sitting on the beach/poolside in the sun. Read. Nap. Flip over. Repeat. As I got into my teenage years, this drove me crazy, but my dad - who worked a 9-5 for 30 odd years in insurance - loved it. All that man wants to do is sit outside for a week straight in Florida. Ten months into my first job, I can kind of see where he was coming from, although I still would argue that we could at the very least thrown in a round of putt-putt once in awhile.

Weather here is a bit more predictable. Sunny. Warmish to warm. Very few clouds. When I see a 7-day forecast that looks remarkably consistent, I still shake my head. What is this? How do Austinites go about their day without dropping to their knees and and counting their blessings?

I still feel tremendous guilt if nice-weather days are not spent entirely outdoors. If I'm watching TV and the sun's still shining, I will literally hear my dad's voice in my ear, "What are you doing?!" and I'll go out and take a walk. Maybe one day I'll get used to beautiful spring weather, but I hope I don't. There's no better mindset than feeling like every day feels like one giant, sunny favor.