The Thaw

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"Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative"-Oscar Wilde

Touche Oscar, touche...

The sun is a spherical star that "consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields. It has a diameter of about 1,392,000 km, about 109 times that of Earth" (Hey, thanks Wiki). So in layman's terms, the sun is one gigantic sizzling superstar. It's like a ball of butter melting vitamin D; a slice of fresh lemon; a pineapple cupcake; a too cool for school orb with sunglasses and a cheesy smile. It is my favorite thing in the world. (ALTHOUGH if you want to get technical, the sun is clearly a whole other world).

Winter was not so long ago. I clearly remember it's weight on my shoulders. I constantly asked friends and co-workers when winter would end and asked if it was possible for the snow to go away early this year. Winter in California always made me rather blue, with rain streaming down the windows that the cold wind rattled, but winter in Korea stepped it up. Snow here seems to choke the landscape under its white blanket of silence. It's like Mother Nature is having a hissy fit for months and doesn't want any living creature in her sight. "Okay you bothersome fools, you're staying in your houses, caves, and burrows! If I see even one of you, I'm busting out hail!!"

There are sweet moments like snowball fights, escaping the cold for your toasty home, and the moments after the first snowfall where everything is peaceful and bright. Those many months of cold had me bundled in a comfy ball, sated on warm food and drink, and content, as I could make myself, to pass the time in my little habitat. But now Spring has arrived and with it the first few days of heat strong enough to burn my lily white skin. In winter I invert and in summer I become everted. It's like I've got energy shooting out of my fingernails and I want to be everywhere and see everyone I can. I want to dance, skip, and run barefoot down the street, through the grass, and climb a tree. I become a kid again. The years that winter added dissolve away.

Outside the sun is a warm kiss on my arms and the cherry blossoms fall gently on the pavement. My running trail is lined with masses of purple flowers. This weekend we're going on a trip to Gyeongju to picnic and ride bikes beneath the trees that will hopefully still be blossoming. Bare legs, strawberry juice on my fingers, and and wine on my lips. Simple moments that give me uncomplicated happiness. So although I may gripe and moan about the cold, I can never truly hate winter because without it I would never get to thaw.

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Comments

[margo]

amazing
wow, that was great. really, really good writing. i could touch, taste and feel everything you described. and it leaves me with a warm feeling inside. you will go far madam : )