Seasonal Wonders


It’s that time of year again. Summer is over, now it’s time to get ready to move your life indoors. There are some outdoor winter activities that are fun to do but not as many as in the summer. Winter is the price we pay for not having as many things around that can kill us. Just think if summer never ended we would have malaria, alligators, killer bees, venomous snakes, poisonous insects, and sharks. Yes sharks, bull sharks have been known to swim hundreds of miles up fresh water rivers. I learned this last winter watching the Discovery Channel while waiting for summer to come. It’s just nature’s way of evening out the number of dangers we face. Would you rather wear extra cloths or face death in the form of animals and insects? See, winter is good for something.

Something most people don’t realize about winter is how it slows their fast paced lives down. Indoor life can be very relaxing. Long nights just seem made for sleeping in and watching TV. Facing the bitter cold in the heart of winter, makes your couch and a blanket into the best option you have. Even when you do go out in the winter it seems everything slows down. Traffic, people walking and wildlife all bring their lives down a notch. Quality time with others is at a premium. Maybe that’s why we haven’t moved somewhere warm to avoid winter. Everyone needs a time to wind down from life every once in a while but months at a time are way too extreme. If only winter was shorter and not as cold all the time.

I think most people that have felt a fifty below wind chill, have thought about what it would be like to never feel that painful feeling again. Just the thought of frost bite makes me realize how impossible it is to find the good in winter when I know what winter will bring in the upcoming months. Long boring nights filled with short freezing days. The steering feeling of knowing cabin fever is only a short time away. Shoveling heavy wet snow, just so I can get a small amount of traction in order not to break my neck walking to the car. Is it worth the trade off?

After hours of contemplation, I have come to the conclusion that winter sucks 95 percent of the time. The trade off is just not worth it. I would rather take my chances with the dangers associated with warm weather. I have always felt that way but feel the need to at least try to see the best in it. To me winter would be a nice place to visit from time to time, just not every day for months at a time. The only good I can seriously find in being stuck in another winter is that someday I will be able to just visit it. Until then I will never be able to shake the words that comes to mind when I think of winter “IT FREAKIN SUCKS”.