ESCANABA — I want to take a moment to encourage you to get in touch with the outdoors. Spring is here, which means more opportunities to get out, new activities, and of course, the sun. This year, I have challenged myself to embrace each season and the weather that it brings. You can probably relate to the inner conflict that goes a lot like this: “Do I wear a coat? I’m probably fine without a hat. My ears are freezing. Sunscreen? Nah, maybe I’ll get a little tan. I look like a lobster and can’t move. I learned my lesson this time.” And here’s the kicker, once I get used to one season and think I’m getting the hang of it the next season has arrived.

They say the only constant in this world is change, at least someone says that. Although I know I will never master each season’s unpredictable weather; I consider that I am missing more than just the appropriate wardrobe. I am missing the full experience of each season. I feel like once each season starts, it is like experiencing it for the first time. I can sit in my house with three feet of snow on the ground and dream about how nice it would feel to have the warm sun hitting my skin. Yet, it is not until summer when I’m in the sun that I am reminded what that feels like, and how necessary it is to keep an antiperspirant nearby at all times.

So, this year I decided to stop dreaming of the next day or next month or next season. Rather live each to the fullest and embrace all the opportunities that arrive with each changing season. Luckily, what better place to do that than Delta County, Michigan? We might think that we have seen it all and have done everything there is to do around here, but I am continually finding this to be untrue. I have spent all my life living in the snow, but it was not until this year that I purchased some snowshoes and put some serious wear on them. I fell multiple times on cross country skis, and I went winter backpacking and camping for the first time. I discovered snowboarding, which might be a game-changer, and dissolved all previous dreams of living in Florida during the winter. Not only did I avoid my winter hibernation mode and the extra pounds that follow, but I earned a new admiration for a season that I thought I had fully gauged.

As we approach summer and the trees are blossoming, and the birds never stop chirping, I am sure many of you have long-awaited this moment. You likely will not need much inspiration for summer-fun, but in case you might, we have a great website at visitescanba.com that might help you discover something you have yet to see in Delta County. I have already tried something new in my book — morel hunting, which I give a five-star rating. I have also pledged to go fishing at every available opportunity.

Thus far it has earned me a nice pike and some tasty perch. So, let’s embrace the warmth and all the opportunities that this season brings. From our team at Visit Escanaba, we hope you have a safe and fantastic summer, and from someone who has a sunburn, again, remember SPF is your friend.

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Baylie Bullington is part of the Visit Escanaba yeam.