Dear Mother Nature,

Spring break is meant to have sun, warmth, and the occasional cold breeze. Not rain and wind.

Sincerely, 

Jillian Kleespies

P.S. Make up your mind!

Having lived in the Antelope Valley my whole life, I should be used to this wacky weather. Weather that makes it go from swimsuit to sixteen-layer outfit weather in the flip of a switch. From perfectly dry… to soaking wet, as if you jumped into the pacific ocean. 

Is this fair? No.

Is this life? Heck yeah.

I am perfectly ready to talk about how the weather changes at a drop of a hat. 

To think that just last week, I was wearing shorts and a tank top. Today, I wish I had layered up some more and stuck to wearing rain boots. Is it reasonable that the school grounds are wet when I walk into school but dry when I walk out? But hey, since that’s just the water cycle, I’ll step away from that argument. 

Also, let’s not forget our dear, dear friend: the wind.

During spring break, I was near Santa Barbara. I wondered if it was just us AV-residents who got wind. Nope. Santa Barbara suffers just like us.  

Let me explain – there were three players in my story. The campsite I stayed at was a trick candle, one able to relight itself in a snap. The wind had the force of an over fifty-person birthday party trying to blow it out. The buckets of rain? That rain was the spit of the two-year-old initially trying to blow that darn candle. 

Speaking of the rain, can clouds get dehydrated from all the rain they throw on us? These past months, it’s rained hard enough to shed the same amount of tears when you step on a LEGO. 

Still, having not-so-great weather is sometimes good, if you look at it right. It gives you an excuse to curl up with a book or watch a movie and make fun of how socially awkward Mr. Darcy is in Pride and Prejudice. You can go on Amazon and fill your cart with things you could never afford, then stare at it as you realize you have no money. 

Or, maybe, you can abuse the fact you are part of the school newspaper and complain like me. Hey, whatever works for you.

Whatever the case, good or bad weather, it’s your choice how you take it. Sure, that sounds like a Hallmark card, but it’s my version of good advice. Go out in that rain, sun, cold, or blistering heat, and crack a smile. (Or do the sane thing and stay instead when things get crazy—your choice.)