Confessions of Someone Who Hates Winter (and who overuses parenthetical interjections)

Let me preface this post by saying I am currently wearing two (that’s right, two scarves), a cardigan, two shirts under the cardigan, sweatpants, a blanket, and slippers & I’m preheating my bed with my electric blanket. (Also, not going to lie: I’m seriously considering breaking out the gloves--and I’m indoors.)

I have come to the conclusion that spring, summer, and fall are meant for spending time with friends, going out and enjoying the weather, scheduling something every possible second of the weekends (and weeknights and weekdays), being positive & energized, and regularly shaving my legs.

Now that winter is here, shaving my legs is far less frequent of an occurrence, and I find myself to be much more of a hermit. I so look forward to coming home from work and slipping into my yoga pants and ugly sweatshirts, and I may (definitely) spend more time with my electric blanket than I do with my friends (it’s only natural, sorry friends!). The sweet, comfy, polkadotted skirts I swooshed around in during the warmer months have been traded in for black slacks and ugly socks. I desperately miss my comfy Teva sandals, but it’s the ebb and flow of the seasons and I must accept it (at least if I don’t want to lose any toes to frostbite--Iowa is cold in the winter, y’all!). Winter is for hunkering down, spending the holidays with family, dressing for warmth and not necessarily fashion (not that I’m the queen of fashion, by any means), and most definitely not shaving my legs (at least until I absolutely can’t stand it anymore). Even having the energy to do that is a bit of stretch sometimes.

I spent a lot of the long Thanksgiving weekend (after having celebrated and given thanks with my family) with my boyfriend, lazily wasting the days away indoors (reading, napping on the couch, and watching TV are valid activities, right?). I was glad to have had some time to recuperate from a hectic fall (and summer, and spring) and I was thankful to have had the luxury of a weekend to waste. My boyfriend made the comment that we’ve got to be more productive with our weekends. I asked “why?” and then I reminded him of the 4-5 months of solidly packed weekends we had prior to this one relaxing weekend. Weddings, trips, baseball games, birthdays, more weddings, more trips, concerts, you get the picture. I’m not saying to completely hide out and waste away the winter--I do agree having routine and to-do lists is important. But, I suppose, if there’s one thing winter is good for, it’s for forcing us to slow down a little and take some time to rest up for the spring, summer, and fall to come.

That’s a big step for me, admitting winter has some value, as someone who hates winter.