New Year, old me

Though the year is new, the self same me is still just that...the same. I really don't get the whole new year, new outlook concept anyway. After all, this month of Sundays is no different than the 31 days of last month. The diversity of this particular month of January is what intrigues me. I have discovered over the course of the last few days that January is a fantastic month. At a time when most of the country is swirling in a flurry of unpredictable, uncomfortable weather, parts of the Southwest are basking in generously warm, sunny days. I discovered this on a recent trip to San Diego.
I grew up in S. D. County, but have spent the last 25 yrs. in Northern California. My family and I caravaned our way down the interstate with our traveling trailer home and a couple of friends to find our spot in the sun. We landed at a campground right on the sandy beaches of Oceanside, north of the Oceanside Harbor. Now like I said, I grew up near here, made my childhood memories here, and still have many relatives here, but coming back during the off season days of January took me by surprise. Not only did I find sunshine, I also found weather warm enough to actually penetrate this thick winter- white Northern California skin. The days were wintry indeed, though not at all like the wintry days of the town I now call home. Mornings were welcomed with the brilliant sun rising over the eastern foothills. Yoga on the sand with gentle ocean breezes enhancing each pose, the sounds of shorebreaks performing their rhythmical dance along the water's edge, the sun pressing into my skin to remind me of its ability to regenerate my soul. I found myself in a state of carnal intoxication. Could this be possible? Did I not just days before endure inches of rain under perpetually cloudy skies, days that go by without knowing what time it is without looking at a clock because the sun never comes out? Unbelievable. Now I know why so many people live down here.
I am amazed at the diversity of the climate of this vast state of California. How upon traveling from one end to the other on any given day one can experience such dramatic changes in surroundings. And not only in surroundings, but actually experience dramatic changes in attitude as well. The long, gray days of winter are only as gray as we allow them to be. I marvel at the human ability to transform our minds to a place where we find peace and balance. Sometimes a little change in environment, only a short distance away can do exceedingly more for our outlook than we might otherwise think. January is still January, but depending on where your place in the sun is,(or Son) determines how easy or how difficult it is to endure. Knowing that February, March and April all press into May, then quickly into June, July and August keeps me anticipating a warmer day.