We’re having a bit of a January thaw here in Minnesota.    And while January is really the dregs of the deep freeze, the longest stretch of unbearable cold in a state where unbearable cold is the norm, already there have been some small and subtle reminders that spring will come.  Temps have climbed into the twenties.  We’re getting signed up for our csa shares and Owen and I have started planning the vegetable garden.  It may not be much, but it’s something.

These little reminders are welcome in a house stricken with cabin fever.  Olive is just about 3 months old now, which means we are finally starting to patch together a full night of sleep and see those gloriously gummy grins that make the first six weeks melt back into a fog of forgetfulness. 

And it’s not just the weather that’s starting to turn.  This marks the start of my third year away from the law firm life and a return to teaching and writing.  The first two were largely built of piecing together freelance gigs and adjunct assignments but now there’s a flow.  I’ll admit I’m flailing around as I try to find the time to prepare for classes, grade work, meet with the ABA and write.  Sometimes I pull it off and sometimes I don’t.  Professionally it’s felt like the first six weeks with Olive-sleepless, uncertain and grasping.

But within the past week I’ve seen signs of springtime there too.  I’ve had acquaintances reach out in community and offer to help.  I’ve had total strangers write words of encouragement and I’ve seen the seeds planted years ago start to bear fruit. 

It’s these little signs, the early shoots of spring, that serve as the welcome reminder that even in Minnesota it can’t stay cold forever.