Baby, it's COLD outside. Really cold. Yesterday we forced the kids to walk the pedestrian bridge to Iowa in below freezing temperatures because at 30 degrees, it was warmer than it had been in weeks. Right now the thermostat is reading 17, and I'm just grateful it isn't -4 plus windchill.
I hate to say it, but the cold has turned me into a big baby. Deep down inside, I'm hankering for a good cry. I want to cry about frozen dishwasher pipes, chapped lips, numb toes, and outrageous utility bills. I want to cry about how long it takes to get everybody bundled up every single time we leave the house, and how every time I walk into the house I find myself tripping over hats and boots as I stumble into icy puddles of melted snow. Most of all, I want to cry because I miss the desert canyons. I'm hesitant to post this for fear of making anyone feel like we dislike Omaha, because we really don't. Even so, when winter hits, it's hard not to remember how in Southern Utah we hiked all winter long.
Winter is tough on me emotionally. Does anybody else struggle the same way? Over the years, I've become extremely dependent on running to keep me emotionally stable. It's tough when the weather gets so cold that running isn't feasible. I'm a person who loves light and fresh air. Come wintertime, not only are the days short, but we frequently keep the shades down as an extra layer of insulation. Ugh. All I want to do is crawl under the covers of my warm bed or eat chocolate. Which I do. Which makes me feel even more sluggish and less motivated.
It's pretty easy to see where this cycle is going. Winter comes and I feel down in the dumps, so I don't do anything which makes me feel even more depressed--yadda, yadda, yadda. Well, guess what? Life happens. Winter happens. We're all going to have tough days, even if you live in sunny St. George. I can't change winter, but I can change my attitude.
So today I am determined to do something--even if "something" is nothing more than a blog post. I'm choosing happiness in all degrees, not just the warm ones. After all, the weather's just right for reading stories and building lego monuments. And yes, I'm pulling myself up by the bootstrings and getting myself onto the treadmill at the gym. If I can't run an actual 5K through Zion and Bryce Canyons, at least I can run one virtually.
4 comments:
Baby it IS cold!!! We should do a little Just Dance Revolution to help warm up our house a bit... Hang in there Kara, summer will come!
It is depressing. I feel like I haven't seen the sun in forever.
A trip to Phoenix this time of year to see family is quite rejuvenating. Wait! Family doesn't live there anymore! Aargh!!
Hey, the Good Lord created the entire earth for us to enjoy and thrive within. I suppose we need to experience both the hot and the cold to fully appreciate either one.
I doubt you would trade Omaha's winter for the one Buffalo, N.Y. has been blessed to endure this year. Snowfalls that are measured in feet rather than inches are really challenging.
Also, I've learned that our memories typically incline us to view our past with rose-colored glasses. For example, I recall a thanksgiving weekend in St. George that included frost, wind and ice. I also recall an August afternoon that was a scorching 113 degrees.
Finally, I have it on good authority that Omaha is the place to be as global warming escalates. We are far enough inland to avoid being deluged by the seas, and our average temperatures can increase a bit without baking us. Get back with me in a few hundred years and tell me I was right. Also, remember that Warren Buffett has funds to live anywhere on earth, and yet he still hangs around Omaha (without worrying about high utility bills) -- Plus, we are within a reasonable walking distance of Jackson County Missouri. -- Are you now convinced that you have it pretty good living in a suburb of the Garden of Eden? [OK ... I'll now shut-up for awhile]
Seriously, just try to keep smiling! Spring is on the way!
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