On Tuesday, I celebrated spring by planting a brand new You Are Beautiful sign in my front lawn.
Yesterday, Wisconsin blew it a big, wet kiss.
That’s what I choose to believe, anyway. Others may refer to yesterday’s unfortunate mix of rain, ice, snow and wind a little differently.
I say, you are still beautiful, Wisconsin, despite your best efforts.
And your crocuses will survive this April storm, just like they do every year.
And some of your residents, like my brother, will still wear shorts because the calendar says they can.
And, even though some of that spring chatter we hear in the air is one cranky robin chirping to the other, “I TOLD you we left Florida too soon!”, your birds will survive this apparent affront too.
If it were easy to live in Wisconsin, everyone would move here and then all those gorgeous lakes would clog up with boaters who’ve never once cast a line.
No, you have to have some chutzpah to live here. You have to be the kind of person who can look through the layer of snow to find blades of grass just waiting to poke through.
You have to be a bulb flower — strong, stoic, patient, proud, aware that bad weather waits on the horizon, and ready to celebrate when it clears. Still a flower, though, and when the sun does appear, you get to stretch in all that luxurious warmth, point your petals toward the light and smile.
You are beautiful, Wisconsin. And, when you’re ready, we’ll be right here waiting to applaud your bloom.
