Seasonally affected

Friday, it was light enough for me to walk the dogs when I got home from work. First time this year. Yesterday, it was sunny enough to take two long walks around Chalfield and catch up with everything, including a new sitting circle of logs in the pine wood (a local school for teenagers with behavioural issues and learning difficulties comes here once a month for forest school activities); a new beech and hazel woodland planted over six acres; bullace flowers in the top paddock; deer prints in the gardens and our awesome next-door-but-one neighbours - expecting a baby girl in July, their first - sitting in the  lane, on the bridge over the stream, drinking tea in the morning sun. This morning,when my alarm went off, it was light outside and birds were singing.

Phone snap, no filter.

The forecast is for the weather to lapse back later this week but for now I'm pretty damn high on spring. Driving into work this morning the sun was so bright I should have pulled down the visor but I didn't. I squinted and enjoyed the bright light, zapping happy around my brain.

I've just read a book that looks at life after death. The author says his research shows him that reincarnation is very real. That we come back again and again to learn lessons here on Earth and even when we graduate 'Earth School' there are further levels to go through. I like his version (despite not agreeing with his adherence to a linear timeline for these lives) and this morning I realised that days like today would have me flunking lessons on purpose just to keep coming back here. Looking at the Wiltshire countryside, bathed in morning sunshine, full of new life and promise and joy at making it through the winter I was totally overwhelmed. I didn't see trees and fields and birds and clouds, I just saw expressions of life so stunningly beautiful that I actually started to cry. Even by my standards that's a little extreme but it was the real thing, so I went with it. Mondays should always be this way.

I very nearly broke into a skip down the office corridor earlier. I think perhaps spring mania may be quite full on this time around. Could get interesting if I really do try to manage it better this year.

In some people with bipolar disorder (no, I'm not bi-polar), spring and summer can bring on symptoms of mania or a less intense form of mania (hypomania). This is known as reverse seasonal affective disorder. Signs and symptoms of reverse seasonal affective disorder include:

• Persistently elevated mood
• Hyperactivity
• Agitation
• Unbridled enthusiasm out of proportion to the situation
• Rapid thoughts and speech

via mayoclinic.com

Y'know what, never mind all that stuff...I'm just happy. And there's nothing at all wrong with that.