(AKA A Whiny Post About Hating Winter)
I don’t know about where you live, but where I live, winter is a long, cold miserable season. Here in Pennsylvania and the winters are notoriously punishing. They can last anywhere from four to six months with ice, snow and barely any daylight. Sure you can go ice skating or take up some other winter sport or even bundle up and take a winter walk, but that can’t happen every day and all of that time stuck indoors can definitely bring on a case of the winter blues.
It seems to be even worse for me (Whine! Whine!) because I Work From Home. I don’t have to go anywhere, and why on earth would I risk going out when it’s 14 degrees and they’re calling for 2 to 4 inches? That means I’m dealing with a certain level of boredom and stir-craziness. I don’t mean to sound whiny, but I dread the three months after Christmas and have a really low tolerance for things like:
The never-ending boredom that winter brings. There are only so many indoor activities I can do. I’m a bad enough driver on dry roads. Operating a vehicle in snowy weather is not the best idea. Besides, there’s not a whole lot to do anyway. All I can say is that our house is super clean between January and March and a whole lot of new recipes are tried. Yesterday’s attempt: Black bean brownies. (Epic fail, by the way. They tasted good but I made them on the same day I made chili and my family ate a whole lot of beans in one meal. Totally not worth it.
How pale can I get? Another month of no sun and I’m going to start looking anemic and in need of a blood transfusion.
The panic that creeps in when Justin has to drive on the snow. When my child is away at school, I can pretend he parks his car until April when things begin to thaw. But during Christmas break, when he’s home for a month, he’s out somewhere Every. Single. Day.
It’s Hard to Get to the Gym. Working from home is extremely isolating and I need to make time to interact with other people, which is something I do at the gym.
But when the roads are treacherous, staying home and jogging up and down the steps while talking to myself is one of my few options for companionship and calorie burning. Of course, I could shovel the driveway. Except that…
Shoveling the driveway is the worst. Some people may not mind being outside in the snow and cold, but I do. I always suck it up and shovel the driveway when necessary but I don’t have much patience when it’s so cold and wet out that icicles are hanging off my hair. Le Sigh.
Winter gloves, coats, hats, scarfs and boots are everywhere. Let it be known: I hate clutter and in case you haven't noticed, winter brings tons of clutter. Our little entry way and hall closet are stuffed to the gills this time of year and we have a constant rotation of outdoor clothing in the washer and dryer. The only thing I was lacking in my life was MORE DAMN LAUNDRY!
Scraping off the car just to get groceries is huge pain in the ass. We have three people in our family, four cars (because someone had to have a mid-life crisis sports car) and a two-car garage. The sports car goes into storage for the winter but when Justin is home on a month-long winter break, one car has to be parked on the driveway. That is fine for good weather, but when the temperatures are below freezing, chiseling the ice off the car for a short trip to buy bread and milk is immensely irritating.
Winter feels so endless that I actually start to miss cutting the grass. And smelling grass…and seeing grass. By the time February rolls around, I start to wonder if we will ever see the sun or feel warm temperatures again. This is when I become seriously restless. If I had one wish, it would be to immediately move to a warm climate (hello Florida!!) or wipe January, February and March off the calendar. Sorry if you’re celebrating a birthday then. We can give you a better one.
I start to lose it. This is beyond typical boredom. I am talking about genuinely not knowing what to do with myself. To keep my sanity, I do things like watch YouTube videos so I can learn to dance like the Brady Bunch kids when they went on that talent show and called themselves The Silver Platters.
I keep reminding myself that winter can’t last forever. While rocking back and forth in a corner, sobbing quietly while surrounded by wet coats and gloves.On the bright side, I get to wear comfy pj pants all day, have time to practice yoga and meditation and enjoy revisiting a few life-changing books I discovered many years ago. But I still HATE WINTER!!
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