Ah, winter has arrived. Well, not officially, says the weatherman. But it has for those of us who rely on Mother Nature to tell us what season it is. When you wake up to below-freezing temperatures and a light coating of snow on the ground, you know it's winter.
Time to start preparing for the really cold weather: below zero temps and wind chill factors that hit -50, -60, and even possibly -70. Well, maybe not that bad. The weather service has changed the way it calculates wind chill factor. So it may not read -70, but it still feels like it.
So, why do folks remain in the northern part of the States despite the occasional bitter cold temps? One reason is that we enjoy and to a certain extent look forward to the change in seasons. I am one such person. I can honestly say that I'd get bored if the weather were always the same, which is the joke about southern California.
True, the really bitter cold weather is not fun. Indeed, it's downright nasty and dangerous. Forces us to remain inside, where we get cooped up really easily. What can you do? Go to the mall, movie theater, or some other facility. But you can still get cooped up. Me? I prefer being outside, and get out as often as I can.
Whether walking, biking (yes, in warmer months), hiking in the woods, hunting, or just bumming around, you can't beat being outside. Throw in some snow, and it can actually be a rather pleasant experience. (Others take that a step further with skiing and other winter sports.)
But probably the biggest enjoyment from winter comes in the knowledge that it eventually gives way to Spring. Poets have waxed poetically (what does it mean to "wax poetically" anyway??) about Spring for generations. I won't try here, other than to say it is my second favorite season.
That fresh, clean smell in the air and the sense of newness springing forth. The thought that the dark, cold and sometimes mushy days of winter are giving way to warm, fresh weather really puts a spark in me. Others, too, I hear. Psychologists say that the long dark days of winter have a dampening effect on people's moods. We literally need sunshine in our lives, if even just to view through the windows.
So as the holiday season approaches and the days get shorter and colder, my thoughts already are on what is to be: another Spring and summer just around the corner.
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