The Mary Forecast

Today is the birthday of an ex of an ex. I recall it each year because of the day that my ex said that we always have our first cold front or at least cool front before the ex's birthday. I don't know why I remember that particular string of words being spoken, but I do. Each year around mid-September, I think of my ex's ex, Mary, and not in a way of dredging up the past or even wondering how she is, but more as an annual weather prediction that I can count on - The Mary forecast.

A friend and I used to make annual bets in early September as to whether or not the temperature would dip to or below 55 by this day. Although we'd shake hands on it, to call it a bet isn't exactly true. It was more like our shaking hands on an agreement that on September 25th or shortly thereafter, I would hand over the sum of money to her, or pick up the tab at a at a too-pricey restaurant. After several years of annually coughing up her winnings, it finally dawned on me that the only sure bet was my losses.

September is usually a joyful time for me. It's in my soul to relish the change in the air and light. I haven't felt much of that this September, but to my surprise and completely without my planning, I did feel it this weekend, and this morning. I found that the sunset spreading rouge and orange across the sky was a reflection of heart and soul, of hope and peace. I found that the lower temperature was in direct proportion to my rising spirit. This morning, I was at the park with Cheyenne, watching the golden light break through the trees and spotlight the leaves, highlighting the edges of the picnic tables and tree trunks. Standing there, I found upon my face a smile. So simple, the upward curve of my mouth. And it felt so unusual and so good that I became equally as mesmerized by its presence as I was by the view and the air.

The lighting of late September talks to the spirit in me, and this weekend and this morning, that spirit over-ruled the physical and mental and pleased me. No fanfare, no wagers won or lost, just the simple feeling of feeling good. Perhaps the Mary Forecast should be cooler temperatures and a few smiles on the horizon.