I'm melting! --which is a good thing.
It's March! It feels like spring! It's in the 60's! 70's! Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I guess I go through this every year--- the feeling of freedom and relief that comes with a big warm-up. I shouldn't be surprised by how different it makes me feel, but it amazes me every time.
When I am warm I feel like a completely different person. A person full of ideas and dreams and possibilities! Alas, I cannot summon this level of optimism or energy in the depths of winter. Psychically speaking, I spend all of January and February wrapped in an adult-sized onesie.
I don't wear an actual onesie, I don't even own one. I think they are hideous looking, and the hassle involved in going to the bathroom would offset any comfort I might derive. But I feel as constrained by low energy and lack of daring as if I were wearing one, without the extra warmth. And my schedule fully revolves around a narrow set of activities: cooking, eating, and heating.
I see the days of the week in terms of which soup we are going to eat, and which mornings I'm going to be loading the crockpot with fatty meats. I measure time by the number of minutes it takes to boil tea. I structure my evenings around frequent trips to the heat vent, reassuring myself, "After you clean up the kitchen, you can go lie on the vent." "After you walk the dog, you can go lie on the vent." "After you Google the forecast, you can go lie on the vent." The vent is my reward for strenuous activities.
The toll that winter takes is reflected too in my blog posts. I could only muster the strength to post four other times so far this year. One of those times was to document a rare, freak respite of warmth we had in January. The slowdown in blog posts was partly because I was working on other kinds of writing, but also because the cold makes my blood move like sludge and I get sleepy. Which leaves me snoozing over my lap-top instead of writing. Oh, I had ideas come and go, but I was unable to sustain the alertness needed to type them up.
But the thaw has begun....and with warm temps forecast for the week ahead, I look forward to feeling like my old self again.
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Glad you're having good weather. It's a great time of year here too, but eventually it's gonna get too hot.
ReplyDeleteI went for a run, last night, and I damn near melted in the heat. We haven't seen anything like your 60's and 70's but I checked the temp before I started...it was 35. Thought that should be worth dropping a layer. I didn't take into account the difference between 30 below and 35 above (65 degrees!) is worth more than a layer. I should have been running in shorts and a t-shirt after the acclimation to running in negative temps all winter.
ReplyDeleteBut the signs of spring are showing up again. It amazes me that, once again, winter actually may end. I have started to see the occasional patch of grass, ears, hair, mouths, hands, a skunk. When I was younger, my fancy lightly turned to thoughts of love. Now I tend to fancy lighter jackets.
H.B., First of all, you are crazy. But second of all, I do envy you your spunk, And I can see how 35 would feel too warm during a run after you've been running in sub-zero temperatures. So I guess once it gets up to the 60's and 70's, you'll have to run naked. I'll be watching for the pictures on facebook. I like the way you describe the emergence of ears, hair, mouths, and hands!
ReplyDeleteI think you and Hal should write a blog together.....I might die laughing!!
ReplyDeleteA capital idea....except for the unwelcome effect!
ReplyDeleteYou crack me up! I love the vent reward--good laugh. I'm glad you are writing other things too!!
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