I will be the gladdest thing under the sun

That right there. That has been my expression every morning when I step out into the sunshine, and I take my little pup Gretchen and her short little Dachshund legs on a walk around our neighborhood. Being in Southern California, we don't experience the same kind of winter as the rest of the country. That doesn't mean, however, that winter hasn't been a grind. Work duties have increased, personal time has depleted, but I'm feeling optimistic and invigorated despite it all.

For weeks, I've been dreaming about the spring, and couldn't be happier that today marks its first official day. A vacation with the people I love the most is just around the corner, which might be the real reason there's been a bit more of a kick in my step recently. So in light of that, a little spring poetry on this happy, sunny Friday. And you're welcome for that picture of a smiling kitten in a hat box.

I will be the gladdest thing
    Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
    And not pick one.

I will look at cliffs and clouds
    With quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass,
    And the grass rise.

And when lights begin to show
    Up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine,
    And then start down!
                   - Edna St. Vincent Millay, "Afternoon on a Hill"

 xx

(image via Yvette Inufio)