Baby, It’s Cold Outside
The North American continent has been dealing with another slap from Mother Nature this season. In the northeast especially, the amount of snow that keeps falling is breaking records and the thermometer is also a little mad when it comes to daytime temperatures.
We’re used to harsh winters, so while we may complain that this season’s snow and cold are becoming irritating, we make the best of it. Of course, the fact that it’s so cold this February that winter sports have been put on hold almost makes me cry. I’ve always enjoyed cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, however this year my winter exercises have been limited most of the time to walks inside the local mall. But I’m not the only one. Last Sunday my son, the avid skier, called me. Nothing unusual in itself except that while he normally spends most winter weekends on the slopes, he stayed home because of the “ridiculous” cold. Hopefully, going outside will soon be more pleasurable.
The hardest hit people are certainly those who seldom if ever encounter harsh winters. They don’t have proper clothing, snow tires, etc. so I imagine that they suffer a lot more than we do. Luckily, spring is just around the corner.
Really! Think about it. It’s only a matter of weeks before the snow disappears completely and spring flowers begin appearing. And only a few months before we start using air conditioning again. The human body has to be pretty resilient to go from one extreme temperature to another. Of course, it happens gradually, nevertheless it is quite a trek.
But I wonder if we ever recover as we get older. When I visited an older relative last summer, she was sitting outside wearing a sweater over her blouse, while I found it quite warm in a sleeveless top. Although I certainly feel the cold in winter, it does not prevent me from enjoying the outdoors when the temperature permits it. On the other hand, older people seem to stays inside most of the time in the colder months. I suppose, age makes us less and less able to adjust to changes in temperature. In my case, in summer I can’t wait for the cooler days of fall.
It just goes to show that a perfect world, this ain’t!
