Subtle Changes

Living in Florida the last 18 months, I’ve learned to appreciate the subtle changes in weather. What’s that you say? I’m in Florida and it’s always warm and beautiful and tropical? First, that’s what I used to say before I moved here. Second…remember Tropical Storm Fay a few months ago? Yeah, that wasn’t pretty.

Here, when it starts getting where the highs are in the low 80s, fall and winter are here! And this morning was the first time in the last, oh, seven months I’ve been even remotely cool out of doors. This morning, though, when I stepped out, I was wishing I’d grabbed my Gators hoodie from the closet!

Being a native born Midwesterner, I scoffed at the Floridian idea of “cold.” Like, if the low is in the mid 70s, I’d be hearing stuff like, “Wow, it’s really cold tonight!” Yeah, not so much.

Yet, the last 18 months have taught me that Floridians have something I don’t: an appreciation for these subtle changes. And I want to be more like them. I want to notice every tiniest little improvement from the sweat-soaked summers through the can’t-beat-it-with-a-stick weather from late Oct. through early March. This morning was the first big change I’ve noticed, but having that attitude of appreciation will make me a little more observant of improvements for the next several months.

What does this have to do with you, faithful reader, who may very well bbe reading this from the tundra up north? Is it just for me to rub it in? *smile*…no, not at all. I’ve just been making a conscious effort to truly appreciate the good things in life lately. I think we all should. And when I stepped into a crisp Florida morning today, it just showed me one more thing to appreciate…and made me really excited about the cooler times to come!