Spring has Sprung

A cold wind tugged gently at my scarf, attempting to snatch it from me as I hurriedly made my way across the busy street. The hustle and bustle of the city was not slowed by any weather, despite that I wished it would be. My head, as per usual, was lost in the clouds as I scurried along, keeping my head down as I walked. As I made my way through the crowds of people, I could hear the vendors pushing for fresh lemonade, fruit and flowers. 'A bit early. It's not that warm yet...' I thought to myself. But today was the first day of spring and people were excited. People other than me, that is.

While some people relish in the return of warm weather, sprouting flowers and resumption of all outdoor activities... this year I was not among them. Spring had always been my favorite season, bringing new life and brightness to an otherwise cold and bleak world. That all changed, however, when on this day last year my beloved dog, Daisy, had passed suddenly and unexpectedly. My sunbathing, flower viewing, hiking, walking and bird chasing partner had left my life. This year, the season I had usually looked upon with joy and excitement was only a painful reminder of the loss of my best friend.

From the day she came into my life, Daisy had always been like a ray of sunshine, bringing wild exuberance and happiness to every situation. She was full of excitement and love, always bouncing around like a big goofy teddy bear. On the day we got her we brought her to the park where she rolled around in the grass and insisted on eating the daisy's planted along the fences. My husband and I both agreed that since you are what you eat, so they say, she would be called Daisy. And it fit her very well.

As I reached the corner of a street I watched the light change and dashed my way across. My boss would certainly not accept "I was lost in thought again." as an excuse for tardiness. Upon reaching the other side, I hopped in a rather uncoordinated manner onto the curb to avoid the patches of ice scattered haphazardly on the sidewalk. Confident that I had successfully evaded the slippery spots, I took a step forward and immediately lost traction. I felt my feet fly out from under me like in an old cartoon, and the world span as I plummeted to the earth to land with my face in a melting pile of dirty snow. Without a moment in between, I quickly pushed myself upwards, of course soaking my gloves in the process, and from the corner of my eye I noticed something bright and yellow staring back at me.

Now, some may say there is no such thing as coincidence, and that fate has already determined every outcome to include any changes that may be made. I, on the other hand, had always been skeptical, and found it hard to believe that any force of nature would have purposely aligned all the stars in such a way that I when I lifted my head from the cold wet snow that I would be met with a bright yellow daisy. Or maybe, my clumsiness was just that predictable. Somehow, this tiny little flower had stubbornly pushed it's way up and past the icy drift to stretch itself towards the sun and greet me from my landing place. I reached my hand out and brushed away the snow from the daisy. As a smile found it's way to my face and I felt the warmth of the sun on me, I decided that maybe today wasn't so bad after all, and that maybe there is such a thing as fate.

On the first day of spring 3 years later, I came home from work and hung up my coat, mentally remarking that it had been a nice surprise that I hadn't really needed it today. The house was unusually quiet, without the usual hustle and bustle or music playing. For a moment, a memory flooded in of the comforting sound of the pitter-patter of clawed feet, excited but gentle barks and a thumping tail echoing through the halls as my welcoming committee came to greet me at the door every day after work.

"Hello?" I called, shaking my head to clear it as I walked into the living room where my husband stood grinning from ear to ear.

"Welcome home babe!" He exclaimed, greeting me with a breath stealing hug.

"What are you smiling about?" I asked, suspicious and wary of his mischievous ways.

"Do you know what today is?" He responded as he took my hands in his, not answering the question at all.

Rolling my eyes playfully, I nodded. "Of course I do." I replied as I watched him come around the couch.

"Well then, come hang out with me in the backyard. It's a nice spring day!" He said, throwing open the door.

He was right, of course. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. As soon as the door was open I felt a warm breeze roll in and the smell of grass wafted through, enveloping me as I came to stand in the opening. I could hear him start to shout from the side of the yard and as I followed him, I watched as he hurriedly raced over to my flowerbed and yanked something up. As I grew nearer, I could see something furry and wiggly struggling to escape his arms. He turned around proudly beaming at me, and held up the flower digging culprit.

Tears welled in my eyes and a smile threatened to tear the corners of my mouth as I laid my eyes on a puppy with a mouth full of daisy's.

Forcing my voice out I exclaimed, "You are what you eat!", laughingly as I took the puppy from his arms. With flower petals falling from her mouth the little puppy looked up at me with bright, warm eyes. "I think I'll name you... Daisy."