Blissfully mild winter (so far)

I no longer try to hide my contempt for winter. It is my least favorite season, and its primary purpose to me is that it is a bridge between my two favorite times of year (autumn and spring).

Yes, winter can be a bleak time. It is a time of little sunshine, cold winds, and prolonged periods of time indoors. I know going through times like these help us appreciate better parts of the year, but I think I have learned enough lessons and would like the warmer weather to arrive.

Unfortunately, we are only a little over one month through the season. Though I could look at this in a pessimistic way, I will not because we have been blessed with a relatively mild winter so far. Of course, this could all quickly change, but like I just wrote, I want to look at this positively.

Perhaps we are due an easy winter. The last two have been cold, and last year, it seemed like snow was in the forecast every few days. As a child, this would have been a wonderful occurrence, but as adults know, we can not just sit at home every time the weather is bad.

The best aspect of this is that we are only a few weeks away from exiting the portion of winter that typically has the worst weather. The coldest and snowiest part of the season is from early January until mid-February. So, we are roughly three weeks away from leaving our best opportunities for awful conditions.

But does this mean we are totally out of the woods? Of course not. In fact, the worst snow storm I can remember did not happen until mid-March. Known as the Superstorm of 1993, it was a weather system that paralyzed most of the eastern part of the country.

In Manchester, we got around 10 inches of snow. It was a remarkable storm. Though it was difficult to do, I can remember driving around town.

The hotels were packed with college students who were stranded here during spring break. The interstate was closed for a period of time so they had no place to go.

In an odd way, maybe they were foreshadowing the arrival of Bonnaroo years later. If young people could have fun here during a snow storm, I can understand why a music festival would succeed here on such a grand scale.

Still, I am anticipating the arrival of mid-February and the gradual turn of the season toward spring. The turn is a gradual one, and if a person is not looking for it, he will miss it.

Even now, daylight is lasting a little longer. By mid-February, this fact will be more noticeable. We will begin to notice that we are not driving to and from work in the dark anymore.

Also, cold snaps will be less frequent. If winter continues on the mild trek it is on now, maybe we will not notice this much either. Still, it is something that is noticeable if we will only pause to do so.

However, I am only speculating at what will happen. Just because things have happened in the past does not mean they will happen again this year. Predicting weather is often like a sophisticated form of gambling where the experts guess at what is most likely to happen. Meteorologists often do a good job of it, which is why they get to make a living out of telling us what the weather might do.

As for me, I will be patient. I will pray for an early spring and do so earnestly.

The long, bleak winter

As months go, January is a dreary month. Falling in the shadow of the holiday season, there really isn't much to recommend it.

True, early January is exciting. The New Year has begun and most people are optimistic about the months to come. However, this feeling wears off quickly.

At this point, we are confronted with what January really is. From a financial point of view, most people have to deal with the aftermath of how they overextended themselves when it comes to Christmas purchases.

If it isn't the reality of the credit card bills arriving in our mailboxes, then it's the emptiness of our savings' accounts that cause a lot of anxiety.

When it comes to dreariness though, much of it occurs because of the weather and dullness of nature. We may take it for granted but nature adds a tremendous amount to the quality of our daily lives.

Right now, when we look outside we mostly see a charcoal gray landscape. Nothing is blooming. There are no vivid colors. The whole thing blends into nothingness.

Additionally, the weather tends to isolate us. It becomes a lot easier to stay home during the evening than to venture out for fun because of the cold. This leads to what some folks call "cabin fever."

I hate cabin fever. Even though I am a homebody by nature, I really dislike having to stay there when we go through the bitterly low temperatures that we experienced a week or so ago.

When this feeling sets in, it produces a restlessness that cannot be satisfied. None of my interests are able to tide me over. All I feel is that I don't want to be where I am and that San Diego might not be that bad a place to live despite being in California.

However, it is at times like this that I have to remind myself to be patient. This is because the dreariness of January has a purpose. It may not seem that way as we are going through it, but there is a purpose.

After all, a person can't truly appreciate the good aspects of life without going through some of the bad. Winter confines us in ways that many don't enjoy. When we are confined, we feel out of control, which is probably why I dislike cabin fever so much. Instead of staying home because I enjoy it, I'm being forced to do so by the weather, and I don't like that feeling.

Still, help is on the way. Even though it doesn't feel like it right now, spring is just around the corner. In only a matter of weeks, the charcoal landscape will give way to all sorts of vivid colors.

Even though spring begins in late March, look for the change to actually begin in late February. The temperatures will slowly moderate, and many early blooming flowers and trees will begin to show growth.

The older I get, the more I appreciate spring. Much like bears awakening from hibernation, we leave the warmth of our homes and become more active outside during spring.

The pace of life picks up in a dramatic and better way. How could it not? Spring is a time of rebirth, and if a season of rebirth does not put more pep in your step, then I do not know what will.

So, hang on, those of you suffering from cabin fever. The days of dreariness are dwindling.

It may seem like it is far away, but it will be here before you know it.