You're Somewhere Else...

 Well, I guess that daylight savings time is just around the corner and to me that's just another reminder that spring is upon us. The temperatures are fluctuating daily which means that eventually I'll start leaving my jacket at work, not remembering that I brought it that morning when the chill in the air required it.
 I noticed a willow tree the other day that had just a hint of green to it. Honestly I'm not sure if that's too early for a willow or not. They seem to always be the first to show their color.
 Willow trees, for some reason, always remind me of my childhood. I don't remember ever having one in our yard. I don't even remember any of my friends having one either but somehow they affected me so that they made some sort of implant in my memory. Something to do with just being a kid. It's funny how our memories are shaped. I'd have to say that probably most of our memories are due to direct incidents- I suppose that's kind of an obvious statement. It's those memories that are more of a feeling than that of a person, place or thing that affect me the most, I think. It's a certain smell. Not necessarily one that you can identify like the oatmeal cookies that make you think of your grandmother but one that flits past your nose so quick that your not even sure you smelled it and suddenly you're somewhere else.
 It's the way the sunlight comes through a window for a moment. But it only takes a glance at the combination of light and shadow somewhere in that brief moment and you're somewhere else.
 It's the rolling of a cloud, the brush of a breeze on your cheek or the rustling of leaves and in an instant you're somewhere else.
 If you're lucky you can reach out and grab that feeling and hold onto it. Most times you can't hold on very long. But if you hold on tight and dig deep enough maybe you'll get a taste of that memory. For me, it never seems to get down to anything tangible but just to have the memory of that feeling is enough I guess... for now.