I feel happy at the early signs of Spring

Oh it’s finally here, after a much challenging winter with so much wind and rain. Spring is definitely in the air!

Storms have been named alphabetically since the beginning of the year and we have had eight already and that is truly amazing and shocking at the same time. I have never experienced eight storms within a matter of weeks in Scotland so this is a first for me and what an experience it has been for all of us!

Abigail, Barney, Clodagh, Desmond, Eva, Frank, Gertrude and Henry have all kept us on our toes and the howling winds at night as we sleep is just so scary and noisy.

We all want to feel safe as we turn off our bedroom lights and close our eyes to sleep, yet our stormy Scottish weather in recent years has created so much fear. Fear of destruction and danger to our beautiful country and to our own property.

We in Glasgow, have been very fortunate to have escaped damage and destruction to our homes, gardens, cars, schools, colleges, universities and businesses.  We had electricity to wake up to unlike some who were less fortunate than us in other parts of Scotland.

I made a choice to walk to my youngest son Calvin’s school as the sun was out, it felt calm and quiet from no winds which was a huge bonus. So I took great advantage of this.

I was prepared for my walk with a flask of hot water to keep me hydrated. I wore my thermal socks to keep my toes from getting more chilblains that I suffer from in extreme cold weather since I was a child. I had my scarf and Koala bear that covers my ears in my rucksack in case I need them as our Scottish weather has become ever so unpredictable.

As I walked along the main road, I felt this amazing calmness of the weather and the warmth which is what I enjoyed the most about my walk on this beautiful Wednesday afternoon. There were early signs of Spring slowly approaching us as I felt the cosiness of my afternoon walk. I love February’s presence because I know we have a month to get through then our clocks go forward an hour which indicates our British summer time begins!

I felt sweaty and hot ten minutes into my brisk walk so I unzipped my three in one Berghaus jacket with hood. I felt very bulky and weighed down with this jacket on yet it is the only one that has the capabilities to withstand our unpredictable, four seasons in one hour Scottish weather.

I was in the moment as I walked briskly, soaking up the stillness with just a light breeze blowing now and again. My mindfulness practice and meditation helped me to thoroughly appreciate my walk. Having my own space to be there in this gorgeous afternoon to get fresh air and exercise at the same time was just bliss and I was feeling so happy and grateful for this day’s dry, warm and calm weather.

I love walking as I have always been active and it helps to maintain my mental power and I sleep deeper at night after a walk outdoors. My left ankle certainly had many benefits from my walk as it was feeling weaker from our cold and wet weather. I felt it’s weakness as I walked briskly along the busy Hamilton Road to pick up Calvin from school.

I stopped to speak to a lady who picks up her granddaughter Ellie as she stood still to wait for her bus. I told her I was walking to the school to get my fresh air and exercise. We had a great laugh about how our bodies seems to be getting much older compared to our mental age which is about ten years old! Haha

I stopped fifteen minutes into my walk to drink some water from my small flask as my mouth was feeling dry. Ah! I really needed that. Thank you!

As my walk was coming to an end, I felt a slight drizzle of rain hitting on my head and I immediate felt cold and wet yet it was dry. I bet it was my body cooling down from my walk as I had slowed down two minutes before I stopped at the school gates.

As I stood there waiting for the school bell to ring, I was observing the bare trees’ branches as they looked naked, exposed and old. They seemed so fragile from the extreme weather we have had, yet they stood so strong and resilient to what is to come.

My moods was light and I felt happy and proud of myself for walking to the school for the first time this year and it felt like a huge achievement for me! Well done me!

I am loving the feeling of shorter nights now as the days are noticeably getting longer. I saw daffodils being sold in shops and this always makes me feel happy and I get more energy from seeing these Spring flowers about.

My seasonal affective disorder is less of an impact on my moods compared to what it was doing to them in Novemeber and December as my mind is adjusting to our longer days and shorter nights. Woo hoo!