Getting through the time after the holidays
It’s now that time after the holidays, where the decorations have been put away and the resolutions are either still going or have already fallen by the wayside. It doesn’t help that we’ve been getting more ice than snow lately, large swaths of dead brown grass are showing through what little snow we got in December and temperatures are below zero. In other words, it’s winter without the benefits.
Yes, I know some are asking “There’s benefits?” Yes, among them are downhill skiing, cross country skiing, sledding, skating, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, ice fishing and for the truly adventurous, the polar bear plunge. For those that have never heard of the last one, it requires people to jump into frigid lake water, usually to raise funds for an assortment of non-profits. I’ve never done this, but I give people points for creative ways to battle the winter blues.
These days there seem to be more ways to get our minds off winter or combat cabin fever. Some require us to actually get outside and participate in the activities I mentioned. Others only need a short jaunt in the car to go to a recreational center, for either exercise or other events. These days that can include indoor mini-golf, gokarts or laser tag. For those that don’t want to leave the comfort of their home, there are a variety of video games where it’s just you against the machine or you can go online and play with or against other people. There’s also a plethora of ways to watch movies or TV shows either online or having them sent to your house. Social media can also provide access to people.
While I do make use of some of these, I grew up enjoying the outdoors in winter. The cold lately reminds me of the days when I would step out and breath in cold crisp air, I could actually feel it warm up before breathing it out in a small mist. Those are the winter days I enjoy, where the muted sunlight, the crisp air and lots of snow on the ground makes me appreciate this season.
The sub-zero temperatures lately, not so much. Breathing in that air, I could just feel it dry out my nose or my lungs. Sometimes that feels good, especially when I have a bad cold in my nose, it feels like it’s one of the rare times when I can actually breathe. The cold air of this past week is the type where it nearly hurts breathing it in, because it seems to draw heat from the lungs, and the air doesn’t seem to warm before leaving the body. Sometimes days like that reminds me of the Jack London story “To Build a Fire” where a man is traveling in weather so cold that his spit freezes before it hits the ground.
Frankly, what I would like is a snowfall that comes down and covers the ground, giving it a clean look. Fluffy snow on a day when it’s warm enough that it makes wonderful snow for building a snowman or having a snowball fight in, but isn’t going to melt away quickly. The type of snowfall where sound from a distance nearly disappears, yet causes whatever sound you’re making, a conversation between two people or laughter, seem as if it’s the most important thing at that moment.
If we’re lucky we’ll see something like that before winter ends. Otherwise just spend some time with family and friends and keep thinking about spring.
