Acceptance

I cannot ever recall having had a decent sunburn in March.

And I absolutely love how the arrival of warm (hot!) spring weather coincided with the time change. It was as though summer literally arrived overnight and we went from furnace action to A/C in 24 hours.

But I'll take it. I think we all will!

This past week ushered in 400 miles of cross-system driving, as I had two out-of-town meetings on Monday and then on Thursday. It's inspiring to see things actually happen in these meetings; you get that recurrent sense that you're spinning in circles, just to break through it and realize the team's really made some success.

The other days consisted of light meeting schedules affording me the chance to stealthily escape from work in the late afternoon and happily work from favorite chaise lounger on the patio. It's the supreme deal of multi-tasking...getting something accomplished *while* sucking up some precious Vitamin D.

With temps still in the 80's, our friends Vera and Mr. Vera called us randomly yesterday and invited us over to play. Vera had corned beef and cabbage in the crock pot and homemade Irish soda bread in the oven. Bailing on our plans to work, read, catch up on homework, we joined our friends at their house on the farm.

Seriously. They live on 120+ acres. Wonderful, panoramic views!

We lazed around on their deck, sipping light, fruity wine and noshing on olives and cheese. Suddenly, Mr. Vera jumped up and went in the house, only to return with two shot guns and a carton of clay pigeons.

Wine + guns = two happy boys. You'd think they were 16!

After dinner, a storm started rolling in, way off in the distance. The guys, content to jam on their guitars, serenaded the shattered clay pigeon pieces in the field. Vera and I, however, went out into the middle of the orchard to watch the storms build. The unobstructed views took my breath away.

So *this* is why people live in the country!

It really made me think about my perceptions of events. It's tempting to think about the negative implications of the coming storm...it's scary, uncertain, and with its horizontal lightning, probably dangerous. We could get hurt if we stand too close. Are the risks, danger, and uncertainty worth it?

But afterward? The rains made all the fields and lawns green. Even though it's still technically winter, good times are here. We're exactly where we're supposed to be, doing exactly what we're supposed to be doing.