back to the cold

i'm back from a few days in florida. back to the cold that is illinois in the winter. i have to admit i've never really seen the appeal of florida. at least not in comparison to other southern states with warmer weather. but perhaps this skeptic and this girl who likes to go against the grain might make it to florida again.

it was so green. you get so used to the snow and the crisp cold that you forget how greenless you are and how brown everything will be right before the spring comes. it was so beautiful. granted i was on a disney resort so i'm sure things are a bit tainted but just flying over orlando, green was everywhere. flying back here was flat brown sprinkled salty snow on hard ground. don't get me wrong. i'd miss the snow. the soft falling outside the window. the running and plopping in the cold cushion that falls from heaven. the beauty of snow before anyone or anything has trampled upon it. there's a beauty to the starkness of white for miles around and even a beauty in the crisp wind that bites. but i'm just ready for green.

and i was blessed. no delays. flights all on time and some even early. luggage not lost anywhere. even got to ride from florida to washington with a handsome, puerto rican man who was charming and a flirt which made for interesting conversation and yes, i admit i have a soft spot for all things latin. but to be honest, and you might call me lacking self esteem or just plain needy, it was nice to have someone try to charm you. of course, the trick is to guard against the bee's sting or the possibility that there is no honey. and to have a conversation with someone who might have different opinions or ideas about life. i always find that invigorating, even if i know i'm right. ;)

and i got lots of reading time. my latest books: the walmart effect and the fast food nation. i may never eat fast food or shop at walmart again. then again cheap and fast is a hard and lazy addiction to beat.

so alas it's back to the cold until our green arrives here in illinois and then i'll remember that this place to holds a charm that's all its own. greens, yellows, browns, deep reds. corn and soy beans, buds and flowers all rising as if from death. and what was once so dead and dreary and crisp and hard and harsh becomes a place soaked in life, full, vibrant, loud, soft and tender.

kind of like where i've come from and who i'm becoming once again. but that's another blog for another cold day with some hot chocolate.