Peace of Mind Organizing

Mixed feelings about this season

24 October 2008

I’m an unabashed warm-weather person. I get cold easily and, according to my husband, I complain a lot in the winter about being cold. So why don’t I move somewhere that’s warm year-round? My husband is a cold-weather person. He hates summer. So we’re equally miserable in four-season St. Louis. Equality is a good thing in a marriage.

Here it is October 24 and it feels as though autumn has arrived and, to my way of thinking, winter is just around the corner. This makes me a little sad (have I mentioned I hate winter?). I think it’s self-evident, but here’s a short list of some of the things I hate about winter:

• Getting up in the morning when it’s dark out
• Having it get dark at 5 p.m. (though that has its benefits, see below)
• The necessity of dressing in layers
• Paying high gas bills to stay warm
• Being cold!
• My husband’s disdain for my corduroy pants (the swishing sound drives him nuts)

But, over the years, I’m come up with ways to compensate. I’m a glass half-full kind of person, so I’ve identified some advantages that winter has for me. For example:

• Being cozy under a down comforter
• Wearing my hand-knitted items
• A shorter work day (I have a policy of not working after dark)
• Getting to wear corduroys outside of the house (I love corduroys!)
• Getting to wear my cozy, super-soft bathrobe
• Having a hobby (knitting) that keeps me warm
• Not feeling guilty about staying inside on a beautiful day (because, if you ask me, there aren’t any in the winter)

My policy about not working after dark evolved because of my dogs. I prefer walking them before dark, so in the winter, they’re by necessity walked early. Then they need to be fed and then I need to be fed and, bam, the workday is over. So the shorter winter work day forces me to work more efficiently. And I do realize that I could impose an earlier stop time in the summer. I just let Mother Nature do it for me.

So this winter when I’m inevitably tempted to complain being cold, perhaps I’ll just wrap my cashmere shawl around me and think of this list. And maybe knit yet another item to keep me warm.

Tagged with: balance, knitting, optimism, winter

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