北卡州春天的腳步，是可以用顏色來敲算的。白色，由陰釐的冬天手中接棒，是春日驚喜的第一樂章。樹梢的白花，不是羞澀樣的緩冉上枝頭，而是旋風式的盤滿整個樹頭。我在冬夜入眠，卻毫無警覺的，在白色的春天中醒來。上班的鄉間路道，列滿這春天的第一個宣告。今年，是我在北卡的第三個春天了，才慢慢懂得珍惜這稍縱即逝的白色第一步。景正好時，不當下即停車取影的話，幾日光景，綠意便滲入其中，純白不再。把握當前是好原則。

Here, in North Carolina, you can count the footsteps of spring by colors.

White comes appropriately first, taking over the baton from dull winter days. It comes in the style of sudden awakening, often unannounced, and the simple, glorious white ignites the life of spring nonetheless. I went to bed in a winter night and woke up in springy white, driving to work with a wid eyed, feverish excitement. The white flowers do not come subtly in small batches but in great masses.

Here is the trick though: before the excitement for blooming white dwelled and I finally decided to stop the car for a picture, the baby green leaves have already sneaked in. It was pure white no more. Life does not wait; color does not stay. The lesson I learned once again was "NOW".