I'm myself again.

You guys. Winter was hard. The sun going down at 4:30, the snow falling for days, even weeks on end. Driving was no longer a joy, but a nerve-wracking foray into what could always possibly be my last drive alive. Seriously, my Honda was not made for Montana winters. But you know what? We survived. I survived. I made it through my first Montana winter without sliding off the road, crashing into a ravine, and dying in a fiery crash. Seriously, those were my thoughts every time I drove in bad weather.

The lack of sunlight really got to me. I walked around in a depressed, weary, and very pale state for most of January and February. Actually, we won't even talk about February. February can suck it. March wasn't much better, but it is over and that is all that matters!

So now, as it is what they call"spring time" (in Arizona it goes from not-hot to blazing in a matter of days), the days are getting longer. The birds are singing, singing so much that sometimes on my runs I turn off my music just to listen to the sounds of spring. The sun is giving off warmth for once. It's weird. There's a slight shade of green to some of the fields and lawns, as the grass peeks out from the thawed ground. The deer have little nubbins of new antler growth on their heads. And I am finally able to run outside again without fearing death by frostbite.

Now that I am running again four times a week, I am happy. SO HAPPY. Some runs suck, some runs leave me wanting to sing and laugh and cry all at once. I can run after work, I can run on the weekends. Running outside again gives me this uncontainable joy that carries me throughout the week. I have endless trails and paved paths to explore. Gone are the dark and sad days of winter. It is spring.

And I am myself again.