I left my jacket in the car this afternoon

when I returned to work.

It felt strange,

on the last day of what is traditionally the coldest month

To be walking outside

in a three-quarter length jacket and tank top,

and yet I did.

On my drive later that same day,

the brown of last year’s grass

far outweighed any white

left on the fields.

Except for the barest scattering

in the ditches

and at the base of trees.

I could almost convince myself

spring

had arrived.

Another month down,

One twelfth of the way

through

another year

already.

Didn’t you just start?

Have I hit the age

where I blink

and everything changes?

Or is it possible

I’m just not stopping

to smell the roses?

Driving between work locations

I got another phone call.

It was one I expected,

and yet the melancholy gripped me

as I said my silent goodbyes.

How can I balance

taking the time

to appreciate every moment

so that I don’t blink

and suddenly it’s me

someone else

gets the phone call for?

Of course,

there’s no easy answers.

But,

each day I’ll try

To remember

to appreciate the sunrises

and sunsets

while making mental pictures

of the smiles on my children’s faces before

they grow up

and move away.

I’ll try to take deep breath

as I appreciate

an unseasonable warmth,

and tell myself

yet again

not to schedule every moment

of every day.

To leave time for moments

of reflection

and for sitting and doing nothing.

At least I have today

to work on it

there’s no time like the present.