I saw my therapist yesterday. Alright, it was really my hair stylist Anna. We are both in agreement that this winter has beaten us down. During our session, it became apparent that she and I are each suffering the morning blues. Traditionally, we both like to rise at 5:30am. Mornings are our most productive times. As the city hits the snooze button collectively, Anna and I are clicking through our daily To-Do list. Before the sun even rises, we are well into owning the day. All day, we radiate the peppy cheer of morning folk. Alright, maybe just Anna is peppy.
But it is true, we are both naturally upbeat and positive people throughout life. Well, the 2013/2014 season of hardship is changing all that. Even the morning folk can’t greet the day with excitement. We linger in bed until 7. Once we are begrudgingly upright, we move like an extra from “Walking Dead.” Everything is a chore. Any activity seems overwhelming. Life is lackluster. It sure is beginning to look like the zombie apocalypse.
This winter or as I refer to it…these seven winters… is a mother f#cker. I grew up in Indiana. Old man winter was an annual visitor. We always looked forward to his arrival for the holidays but by the end of January, he was driving us crazy. When I was in school, the obvious reward for enduring the weather was the sporadic snow day. I was young and selfish enough not to consider the real problems caused by a snow day. In my naivete, I was just delighted that my gamble had paid off. I often watched the weather prediction to determine whether or not to study for a test.
I moved to Chicago twenty years ago. During my honeymoon years, I was delirious to realize Chicago didn’t get a lot of snow. Not like Indiana snow! There was no lake effect snow because we were the lake. We always had the brutal, cold winds. People really do get stuck in these crazy winds on bridges across the Chicago river and have to be rescued by rope and hearty building security. Still, without the several feet of snow, the crazy winds were manageable. Even when Chicago gets a lot of snow, we get a respite. Typically, it warms up into the 40s, 50s or even 60s. Everything melts. People catch their breath. And then we do it all again. Right before the Blizzard of 2011, we had an unseasonably warm day. Winter is best experienced with intermittent breaks.
The 7 Winters of 2013/2014 is non-stop. The ongoing ten day forecast is suck-age. Positive temperatures are definitely a plus. Double digit temps are a gift. Snow and wind are just givens. The end is nowhere in sight. Next Thursday, it will be 34 and foggy. That will be a nice change. By the weekend, it’ll drop back into the 20s.
I complain knowing I got a break in December with my trip to Guatemala/Cancun. And I get a break Prez Day Weekend visiting my nephew Joey in Myrtle Beach. I know I am blessed with the ability to step out of this frozen city. Plus, even on the harshest commute where I’m shivering and miserable, I know I’m en route to shelter; my home or my office. I’m always heading to a warm destination. My discomfort, even for an hour, is much shorter than a homeless person’s ongoing suffering.