In my spring cleaning efforts, I hung the fluffy, red winter jacket I’ve worn for years in the furthest corner of my closet. This is the third time I’ve done that this semester. We’re in South Carolina, winter has got to be over now, I thought.
Monday morning comes around and I left the house with only a sweatshirt. I can handle rain. To my dismay, it wasn’t only rain, but also wind and cold. Freezing cold.
By Tuesday I was walking around like a plump red strawberry once again. My jacket does its job, although most refer to me as an eskimo when I bring the hood into the picture. A fur outline shapes my head and an extra two inches of plush overwhelms my body, capturing all the heat it can. I’m not saying it’s a cute look, but it protects me from the uncontrollable decisions of Mother Nature.
Each time I am resentfully wrapped in my coat I daydream of the sun, pool and a nice tan. Then I realize it is not a daydream, merely a remembrance of only a few days before. South Carolina goes from bathing suit weather back to needing my fashionable jacket in no time. Yet I still try to hide my jacket away each time I see the sun.
Now that spring break has passed and we are in the final stretch of the semester, my expectations are high. I brag to my family and friends in New Jersey that tanning season down here starts in March. Well March, we’re halfway through and I don’t think you’ve gotten the message. So I have decided to stop burying my jacket away in the closet. Instead, I will take each day as they come.
With the upcoming forecast looking favorably high, consistently in the 60s and 70s, I am not looking past the 30% chances of rain to follow. I know there will probably be another day that I walk around campus as a fruit instead of my usual self, but weather is something we cannot change nor control.
My red jacket loves Mother Nature for making it so popular, but I for one, love bathing suits.