Today was truly the first day of spring for the year. Although we'd had a couple warm days in late February and March, this was the one that everyone you talked to seemed to have a concensus on. For the first time in what seemed like weeks, there was actually sun in the morning upon waking. It was almost a strange sight, hearing the alarm and opening eyes to a bright light seeping through the blinds.

Out of habit, I put on a coat, but knew that I didn't really need it once I got outside. Where other mornings had threatened rain and cold, it was already perfectly clear out, and the temperature was finally mild. I finally turned the defrost off low in the car and even cracked the window a bit on the way to work. The air that streamed in against my face was cool, but not unbearibly so because of the sun pouring onto me. I felt fortunate to have left a pair of sunglasses on the dashboard, as the light coming off the horizon was something that had been forgotten in the past few days of rain.

Upon arriving at work, everyone seemed to be in better spirits. I could hear talk of the forecast, and of the weekend yet to come. As the day went on, moods changed, but it was not because of the weather outside; it was because we were still on the inside. With only an hour or so left in the day, everyone seemed to be timing away the seconds in their heads as they went about finishing their tasks. Every so often, I'd see someone gazing out a window or standing in front of one trying to catch a bit of breeze from beyond the walls.

Eventually, everyone started shutting down and shuffling outside. The sun was already on it's decent, but there were still plenty of hours left in the day. The drive home seemed to take twice as long as usual and one could just tell from driving that nobody wanted to be where they were. Traffic was unusually more congested and tempers were flaring as cars backed up even more than normal. I could hear the combined sounds of car horns, music and yelling as my shirt clung to my back with perspiration.

Just as everyone was getting used the waiting around in the sun and lines of cars, a small group of clouds gathered overhead and blocked out the light. The wind picked up suddenly and a light, steady rain started pouring down. It only lasted a few minutes, but when it was finished and the sun came out, there was a noticeable difference.

The streets steamed ever so slightly from the sudden cold rain and the freshness of the moisture in the air seemed to make everyone sink back into their car seats just a little more. It was still a Friday afternoon drive, but getting home in record time didn't seem quite as pertinent anymore.

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