As I drove back to campus Sunday, I noticed that it was warmer than normal, with the day’s high reaching 55 degrees, and the skies being nothing but clear with the color of baby blue and the sun shining bright.
Then as I walked to dinner Sunday night, I was thrilled to be outside with a spring jacket and sunglasses on, as the shine of the day had not subsided quite yet.
To me, this is perhaps the most exciting and positive time of the weather year.
With the clocks springing forward to give us more daylight, and Mother Nature gracing us with warmth, it’s time for the time of year that leaves you feeling alive again.
It’s hard for anyone, especially me, to feel motivated on an average January or February day when the high is 25 degrees and night creeps in as your 3 p.m. class is finishing.
Yet once we hit daylight saving time, all that begins to change.
In a year such as this when spring arrives early, we are already now starting to see the incremental changes that bring about a renewed spirit in each of us.
Waking up may be difficult, due to the later sunrise time, but walking outside and not having to wear a heavy winter coat is a huge bonus we notice immediately.
Being able to sit outside at the library to do work or being able to sit outside near Friendship Green and enjoy lunch or the commotion of the day are all the little things we enjoy when the weather gets a little nicer out.
All in all, with longer days and warmer weather, you feel more motivated and more energized to do stuff.
On a Saturday afternoon, instead of staying inside underneath a blanket, there’s joy in being able to go for a run or bike down at Presque Isle.
There’s the enjoyment of being able to go to the store with the windows down, the worries of snow messing with your car long in the rearview mirror.
Instead of sleeping in due to seasonal depression, which does affect many students, you’re inclined to complete whatever may be on your to-do list and be productive.
Also, it can’t go without being talked about: the wonder of the longer day.
As I briefly discussed above, I think it’s one of the best parts about the change in the season and hour structure; the fact it doesn’t get dark out until sometime after 7:30 p.m. is wonderful.
Around this time of year too, the sunsets tend to elicit awe and wonder in our hearts, and they more often happen as a result of the warmer weather and longer days.
Soon enough you’ll be able to walk down to the Bayfront, or to Presque Isle, and see the spring sunsets, which leaves you hungry for more, hungrier for the longer days and ever warmer weather, which are just around the corner.

MICHAEL GUIDO
[email protected]