De-hibernation

Everyone has suddenly reappeared. Restaurants feature full tables beneath awnings, hackeysackers are on the university campus green. Random run-ins, seemingly so infrequent during the icy months, now feel regular again, as one can't walk down the streets downtown without seeing a familiar face beaming in the sunshine.

The weariness is temporarily set aside, replaced by reveling in warmth (relative, of course) and the first deserved icy drinks of the year.

I'm in the process of preparing a batch of music to ship miles away - and feeling invigorated by the immediacy of selecting the right songs to include in the collection. I want to allow for a proper introduction to artists the recipient has not heard of, and I'm going to include a mix of still less-known artists who deserve a new fan. It's a project I haven't undertaken in awhile, and it feels good to be able to pick and choose among so many favorites.

It's also assisting me in focusing my thoughts and energy on tasks at hand - as I will also be working on a different project, intended for various other recipients. This project, more than the music, requires the utmost care, polish and drive - not to mention finally sucking up fears or apprehension and just doing what I know I need to do.

I was sipping a frozen coffee drink this afternoon with my perpetual idea-bouncing wall, Elizabeth, when she laughingly remarked that I fascinate her. Or, more appropriately, my transitory exapserations fascinate her.

I grimace and took another sip before I had to prepare to leave. I don't want to be fascinating, I want to be content. I just don't know what I need to do to somehow wind up being both.

In the sunshine, with "Trouble" tracks coursing through my car speakers, it felt like maybe I'd be able to figure it out.

Just have to give it a shot.