Since tomorrow is Groundhog Day I feel like it's alright to go ahead and tell my Pennsylvania brotha from a furry motha, Punxatawney Phil, to sleep in. It was 57 degrees today. Spring's not on the way, it's pretty much here.
So, since Phil can take tomorrow off I feel it's important to focus on another holiday that may be here sooner than any of us expected...Blooming Day. What's Blooming Day? We've all been a part of it. We've all anticipated and rejoiced in it at one time or another. Most folks just don't have a proper name for it. I came across the term for the first time about a year ago via a play called Extinction written by a dude named Gabe Mckinley. I'm not sure if he coined the term but as far as I can tell he was the first to put it in print. The passage below is what caught my attention and made me realize that maybe there's a need to show this glorious day of the year the respect it deserves.
MAX: I do miss New York....San Diego is like living in a post card. Pretty but flat - fucking cardboard. It's not New York...New York...New York girls. Jesus, I miss them...This time of year. The first day after the long winter...the first day the dresses come out and their bodies can be seen...and they know it. God, do they know it. It should be a national holiday. The day the girls bloom like flowers. Blooming Day.
By now I think most of you understand what I'm talking about. I noticed this phenomenon during my first year away at school. I can remember stopping by my friend's house on my way the the first class of the day and everyone freaking out, asking me if I'd been up to campus yet. I remember walking up the hill toward Carver Hall and feeling like someone flipped the switch from black and white to color. No more sweatpants and UGGs. Oh no, sir. They were traded out for sundresses and sports bras with tiny running shorts that read, "PINK" across the back.
It was more than just the glow of tanning bed baked skin about campus that made this day so special. It was the mood. Everyone's mood was fantastic. Everyone was laughing, smiling, jogging, or joking. All was right with the world. And of course since it's finally beautiful out everybody has the same idea, "Let's drink. No Wait! Let's drink outside."
I've been out of college for over six years now and I gotta tell ya, not much has changed. Once that weather breaks, especially in NYC, the same rules apply. Many of the ladies of in this city drastically change up their wardrobe come that first really warm day. I feel arrogant saying this, but I can't imagine a city out there with more beautiful women than New York. A few years ago I was walking down the street with a friend of mine who had just returned to NY after being away for a bit. It was a spring afternoon and we were standing at a crosswalk when he turned to me and said, "Fuckin New York. Even the ugly girls are hot here." That's kinda true. I'll often find myself walking down the street or through a supermarket and suddenly notice that I've stopped walking and am now just staring at a girl who is so incredibly gorgeous that I'm almost angry about it. Another friend of mine said once, "I fall in love every time I get on the subway." It's true. So many times I've stepped on a train to begin my commute and find myself sitting across form a girl who easily could have been Miss America last year. I imagine our relationship together from first date until our fiftieth wedding anniversary and it's really incredible. Then she hops off at her stop and I shake myself out of my daydream and go back to playing Angry Birds. What I'm trying to say is that here in NYC, Blooming Day is on another level. Yet, that sophomore ritual of calling it an early work day and seeking the comfort of a pint outside still applies.
I don't want to just make this day about upper thighs and cleavage though. I don't think that it's just about staring at women, although that's certainly a big part of it. I also don't want the people to read this and think that I'm trying to promote the idea of being a creep or acting like a dirt bag. I was raised by women so I do believe that you should do your best to never be anything less than a gentleman. I do however want to acknowledge the fact that the change in ladies's wardrobe prompted by the change in seasons will undoubtedly elevate the mood of a whole community. I've seen it happen and it will never go the other way. Girls across the country will never be completely psyched that it was 72 degrees today and dudes everywhere finally broke out their cargo shorts and flip flops. It just doesn't work like that. It's a one way street and this yearly event reinforces an idea that I've had for sometime now. Women and the most beautiful and fascinating creatures in this universe. However, Blooming Day is about much more than just the ladies.
I remember Blooming Day last year. I stepped out the front door of my building and before I saw a single female, I remember just taking a breath. A deep breath. I closed my eyes and savored the way the air smelled different since the sun showed up. I remember spending that afternoon with friends and day drinking. Although no one felt the need to say it aloud, we were simply celebrating the fact that it was warm out and we were all alive and able to enjoy it together. Winter is a bitch. That stretch of time between New Year's Day and Blooming day is dark and long and depressing. Blooming Day to me is Mother Nature dragging us out of bed saying, "Hey, no matter how long it's cold for, remember that sooner or later it'll be sunny again. And when it is, you need to recognize it, embrace it, and take advantage of it. Now, get out there an enjoy it!"
So if things keep going the way they are, Blooming Day 2012 will be here sooner rather than later. There is no set date for it and it varies from region to region. You have to keep your eye out for it and you'll know when it's really here the second you step out your front door. If it falls on a weekday and you're in a position to play hooky from work or school I suggest you do. Round up your friends and plant yourselves somewhere outside where you can enjoy a beer and your surroundings. Feel the sun on your shoulders for a bit and remember that no matter what pressures of life hound us from day to day, it's crucial to make time to savor a drink in the sun now and again with your friends and embrace the simple things. It's just good for the soul.
So friends, I hope Blooming Day greets us sooner rather than later and I hope I'm out there with ya'all to enjoy it. Oh and guys, let's all go easy on the gawking.
Hell yes. Blooming day does certainly take on a different meaning in NYC. Perhaps its the higher concentration of models and movie stars, but it seems like NYC Blooming Day is better than any other in the country. And every Blooming Day everywhere is pretty damn excellent.
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