Ah!  That unmistakable spring air! The undeniable odour of melting dog poop that gives us the first warning that the winter is finally drawing to a close! All we need now is a few more degrees on the thermometer and scantily clad boys and girls will be walking down Ste-Catherine Street, strutting their stuff, showing off their new Body-Body tank-tops or Birkenstock sandals. After a long winter of working out and firming up, the streets of Montreal become a veritable sidewalk fruit stand.

What exactly are these people trying to hide by showing it all? Are they drawing our attention away from their personalities or lack thereof? Are they so boring that they can only put forth a few pounds of muscles and waxed skin?  Maybe I am becoming jaded with it all, but no thanks. Where are all the people?

Spring is a time of renewal. The Earth rids itself of all the crap left over from the cold season with refreshing showers. It blows away all of the clutter to make room for a new life.  With every climb of the temperature, our search to find that elusive perfect match intensifies.

Couples walk hand in hand, because spring really is the season of love. But is love really possible among all this flesh and so many lusty thoughts? The sidewalk sale has begun, people  flirting with each other, exchanging wanting glances, following one another to secluded alleys and staircases. What exactly happens to us in the spring that makes us want to hook up so desperately? Is it seeing these couples, looking so annoyingly happy, that gives us the urge to double up! Or maybe, it is a genuine effort at happiness!

But is all of this really necessary? Why should we define ourselves by this model? Is that where true happiness comes from? Shouldn’t we first be content with our own lives and find ways to complete it outside of that perfect romance? We need affection, and love seems to marry itself so well with spring. Happiness is a relative term anyway. If it makes people happy to have a quickie between two cups of coffee, I say good for them. If they are happy living in a world of superficiality and aesthetics, I am sure they will find plenty to satisfy their carnal desires. But that’s not for everyone.

For the rest of us who need to find romance and love, spring is definitely the time to be out there looking. Don’t give up! Keep your best smile firmly attached to your face because you never know when that chance meeting will happen. Maybe someone will send you an email containing only what can be described as being the three most powerful words of the English language: “I love you”.  Perhaps you will find yourself giving up your seat in the Metro for the one you have been looking for all this time.

In a perfect world; we would all live happily ever after. We would all feel like Cinderella with an endless supply of glass slippers. Prince charming is out there. I swear he is, and more than likely you will find him in the most unusual of places.

But I have to admit I have been struck with spring fever! And let me tell you… I was struck hard! When I saw him, I couldn’t help it, I melted. Maybe it was the fresh clean air, his incredible smile, his mulatto skin or his sexy allure, but I had to have my very own piece of spring. So of course, we exchanged numbers, and then to my surprise, he turned out to be a nice guy. Wow, hot and nice. That is all we want right, someone nice? Or maybe I just want someone to go walk around with me, holding my hand, sipping mochacino at the coffee shop. The romantic in me loves waking up in the arms of a man on a bright Saturday morning, a light breeze pushing through the bedroom curtains, carrying in the sounds of birds chirping and boys in the alley, posing as the subject in my very own Steve Walker painting, whose paint has not yet completely dried.

That’s the only problem with spring, everything is wet and messy. Mud, muck, slush, grime, sleet, garbage and lets not forget the doggie-doodoo are rampant on the streets. Seems like everywhere you go, you risk dirtying the bottom of your pants. Take heed: it’s still too early to wear white pants. And maybe we shouldn’t rush into these spring romances like lemmings off a cliff. Don’t dirty your slacks just for the sake going for a walk through the dating labyrinth. You have yet summer and fall to live through before you will need to barricade yourself indoors to stay warm for the next long winter.

So make your choices wisely, it gets lonely by the fireplace.