all these cloudy, cold spring days

it has been a challenge, looking for light during the past week or so of cold, sometimes rainy, always damp days.  waking up in the mornings, the dingy, grey daylight barely makes its way through the blinds.  on sunny mornings the alarm isn't even necessary.  on the cloudy ones, two, sometimes three need to go off before greeting the day with a feeble attempt at joy.  it is more an acceptance of the rain, the wind, and thankfulness for winter hats and warm jackets.

instead of light, which should be in ample supply by this time of the spring, other senses must be called upon to find what seems to be missing.  painting, attempting to paint, really, was the agenda this morning.  following an hour of spinning on the trainer, resistance and weight training, and some yoga, a breakfast of homemade granola and yogurt topped with maple syrup, and, for good measure, a cup of coffee - a comforting addiction recently resurrected during some sunnier mornings up north - painting was playtime.  on a day when it seems nothing is anything other than some sort of dull, muted version of the color it is on brighter days, the simple act of laying brush to paper can wake brilliant hues from their slumber.

there's almost always music on in this house, something learned while growing up in a home rarely without a radio playing.  lately it has been old episodes of mountain stage along with lord huron, dawes, sturgill simpson, and jason isbell.  and the occasional not-music-but-just-as-satisfying "here's the thing" with alec baldwin podcast.  if the sun refuses to come out from hiding laughter is a tried and true remedy.

in traveling north a few weeks ago enough sunshine was soaked up to keep me moving through days like these ones.  during a meeting i attended last tuesday evening the head of thoracic oncology at penn stood in front of a room of lung cancer survivors, their loved ones, and fundraisers and noted on his very first slide the importance of care beyond the realm of surgery, radiation and treatments - research has shown patents' quality of life is affected in a very positive way with non-traditional care - yoga, reiki, mindfulness and meditation, and exercise.

thinking back to sitting in the sun on top of a big hill, eating pastrami on stale rye bread, looking out at a bald eagle riding the thermals, i nodded in agreement with this point. in that moment there was some art, some nutrition, some sun-derived vitamin d, and a whole lot of hard-earned fresh air.

time for another cup of coffee.  or maybe a nap.  about sunny days to come.