Lessons From the Kissing Booth

Oh, hello there, spring.

We knew you were on the way, of course. The signs were all there--the daffodils, the thick purple flowers up in the higher branches of the trees, the chives coming up in my window box, all of the bright pink and gray earthworms strung along the sidewalks. And then there was the usual ache all along my bones, looking for movement, the restlessness threaded along every nerve.

But you popped up this weekend, covered in sunshine, sending everyone stumbling dazed onto the sidewalks and patios in sunglasses and without coats. Everyone's friendlier on the first spring weekend, finally starting to emerge from their winter haze, ready for everything to start again. Time to start thinking about planting things and smiling at strangers. You're bad luck, spring, but you're the sort of bad luck that is sometimes indistinguishable from good luck.