It’s said the third Monday of the year is the saddest.

Well I may be bewildered at the time passing,

but I’m not sad.

It’s February with its fake Hearts and chocolates I think is harder for people,

whenJanuary slowly fades away in a haze if ice and snow.

Yet to me, things are coming up roses.

Yes, I’m incredibly sore right now,

far more than I was at this time a month ago.

But I have a Ford F-150 to thank for that.

It was enough to remind me I’m alive

and not merely living in a dream.

My kids are so loud;

they laugh, tease, love, torture, and fight with each other.

One minutes best of friends,

the next,

bitter enemies.

As they should be.

And together we are trying to navigate the minefields of friendship and family, returning always, inevitably, to the oasis of love.

The pendulum will continue to swing.

As with the weather, nothing will last forever.

The -35 Celsius which greeted me last Tuesday has been replaced by -2 this morning.

My soul sings out at the reprieve as I begin the week,

feeling mellow yellow

and a little less frozen and blue

even though they say it’s the “bluest” day of the year.