Melancholy skies....

I have always been that mercurial soul that can bask in the late afternoon sun, and feel it's glorious warmth soak into my skin and hair, and in the next breath, long to breath in the cool, moist air, laden with the ripe scents of greenery after a ferocious storm... taking in the beautiful, gray, melancholy sky. Other than the last dreary month of winter, when the snow turns an unappealing brown, and the dull, vacant ground peeks out for it's first glimpse of the world, I always had a perfect balance of the seasons. The coast of West Michigan is known for it's fiesty seasons, all of them seeming to reach their fullest potential. I never really felt lacking. After a particularly brutal winter, however, in 2008/09, I must admit that for the first time I felt ready to move on to a "milder" climate. Arizona is where we ended up. The Sunshine State. What could be better right? The sun shines 90% of the year here, and a "cloudy" day here, would have been considered mostly sunny back home. Of course, I wasn't so naive to know that the eternal sunshine came with a price, ungodly hot summers, but that seemed to pale in comparison to the thought of the glorious sun, shining down on me day after day.

1 year and a half later, and I am full. Full of sunshine. I never REALLY realized how badly I would miss those ever-changing seasons that seemed to perfectly synchronize with my moods.On days when I just don't feel like bubbling over with sunshiney happiness, the glaring ball in the sky almost seems to mock me. Reminding me that while I may be feeling somewhat complacent, the rest of the world is brimming with radiant joy. I crave the swirling, angry skies, and the smell of rain in the air. Gloomy, shadowless days, with a cold breeze. I need those days, those skies. With this revelation, came the news that our military life may have us uprooting again in the next year, and although I have grown to love many aspects of the desert, a certain relief comes with knowing that this is not the place I will call home. I'm holding out for a locale more suited to my personality, or personalities...