As soon as the trees begin to bloom around St. Petersburg, I know that Spring is here.
Spring brings bright blue skies and plants in bloom of pink, orange and red peeking out of the saturated green landscape. Pollen coats the surface of everything like yellow dust, making people sneeze in bursts until days of rain wash it away. Crazed creatures bolt like lightning across the ground and through the trees, energized by things we cannot see. People in various levels of spandex patrol the streets, absorbing the lingering hours of sunlight on their sweat-soaked skin. A cool breeze plays on the air with a hint of humidity that wraps around you like a blanket, hinting at the summer heat to come.
Spring brings new life and chance at renewal. The sorrows of winter blues wash away with every burst of color in the sky and the crunch of grass under bare feet. The sun lingers longer and so do we.
Spring brings the hot sun and a cool ocean, perfect for healing burnt skin and awakening the soul. There is nothing like sudden submersion in cold water to jolt you to life.
Spring brings hope and the ability to conquer our fears of the things that lurk in the depths below. Sometimes you need to fall in face first to realize that there is nothing to fear but fear itself.
Spring brings baseball and the 100th anniversary of spring training baseball in St. Petersburg. Family and friends come together for lazy days and never-ending games as players from the far north immerse themselves in our sun-soaked fields.
Spring brings sunglass, sunburns and smiling faces.
Spring brings the culmination of months of planning and hard work into a successful golf tournament raising thousands of dollars for charity. After months of long hours, endless email chains, and a torrent of spreadsheets, we have emerged from the dark with invaluable lessons learned and gratitude towards everybody who helped make this event a success.
It’s been a challenging few months filled with more uncertainty and tears than I might have liked, but it has also been full of gratitude, new friendships, and a new outlook on my abilities. The fact that we had such a smooth and uneventful tournament points to the amount of blood, sweat, and tears poured into this project from the start. Standing to the applause of our members was just the icing on the cake. I can’t believe it’s over. We did it!
Maybe a career in event planning is in my future. But hopefully not.
And so spring brings new beginnings and a new outlook on life. Now let me sleep a while and revel in our success and I’ll see you in China.
