Frühjahrsmüdigkeit

I had never heard of Frühjahrsmüdigkeit, or spring fatigue, until I met Ulrich. I still lived in pittsburgh back then; we were driving across the 42nd street bridge on a sunny day in mid-march when i complained of feeling exhausted even though i had been sleeping well.

when Ulrich suggested that I might have Frühjahrsmüdigkeit, i thought he had just tossed together one of those compound words which are infamous in german, like Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft. But no - it’s a real term, and a widely recognized phenomenon - at least in the German-speaking world!

Now that I know about Frühjahrsmüdigkeit I seem to experience it earlier and earlier each year, at the first hints of sunlight peeking its rays through the winter clouds. i felt the tiredness tugging at my limbs today as i walked past yawning crocuses in the local park. the birds were chirping tentatively, unsure whether the balmy weather was a sign of imminent spring or just a ruse; should they rush back to their tree cavities for warmth? i felt myself leaning towards the pale sun, yearning to drink it in at the same time a wave of syrupy heaviness surged over my shoulders and eyelids.

now, as i write this, long after the sun has waved goodnight - almost a full hour later than it did last month, it seems - i am so looking forward to my bed and especially its bulky duvet, to burrow myself into it and stumble into a dark, dreamless slumber.

Photo by Luka Savcic on Unsplash