Spring Fever!

Submitted by Reed Stoddard

March 25, 1999

I have spring fever! I have it bad. I find myself measuring the shrinking snow banks, and evaluating the streams of run off in the street with great impatience. I started wearing short sleeve shirts to work this week to give mother nature the hint that it is time to warm up. There is something mood elevating about the warming, sunny weather of spring. Some people even suffer from a condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is depression that is related to the decrease in sunshine during the winter months. The treatment for SAD is often exposure to bright artificial light.

Most of us don't suffer from SAD, but we can still benefit from the longer, warmer days of spring. The younger people have begun to participate in outdoor activities such as baseball, soccer, and track. We should follow their examples and shift our activities outside. Whether you move outside to exercise (especially you that are participating the Climb the Grand Teton Challenge), getting out to putter in the yard, or renewing your interest in an outdoor sport, there is something rejuvenating about being outdoors again. So let's take advantage of whatever spring weather we are lucky enough to get and start enjoying the world beyond that walls of work and home. It will make us healthier both physically and emotionally.