Cold

The older I get, the more I realize how much I hate being cold. It hit me hard yesterday, as I went out to my car and brushed the huge amounts of snow onto the ground, wincing as they hit my leg. "I thought I left South Dakota to get away from this stuff" I thought to myself. I couldn't believe that I was standing there with a Caribbean tan while brush mounds of thick, wet, white fluff to the ground.

I think I must be getting old. I used to love playing in the snow! I remember spending hours outside, coming in soaked to the bone, eagerly anticipating Mom's freshly made hot chocolate. My cousins, siblings and I enjoyed hours of entertainment flying down the huge sledding hill near our house. Even breaking my ankle in three places on that hill did not deter me from going back after it healed, it was too much fun. Now I hear about snow and shudder. Honestly, I don't mind enjoying it from the warmth of my living room with a fire roaring in the fire place, but the thought of going out it in is not a pleasant one.

We just returned from a 7 day cruise in the Caribbean. Every day was hot and sunny, and I soaked up those rays, spending hours sitting on the beach and by the pool on our cruise ship. As soon as we stepped off the plane to switch to our other plane in Minneapolis and I felt the cold air rush into my lungs, I wished I was back in the warmth. I love not having to bundle up in multiple layers to stay warm. I enjoy not seeing my breath rush through the air. I like not sitting shivering in my car as I wait for it to warm up. I love not having to go to the washroom in between my classes in order to warm up my hands under the hot water of the bathroom tap. Yes, cold is becoming a bit of an enemy.

I still love the picture created by freshly fallen snow. Today on my way to work once my car was warmed up and I felt warm and toasty inside I spent some time thanking God for the beauty of the crisp, white flakes on the trees, yet I had no desire to go and touch the white stuff. This has been a cold year, with a lot of snow! Yet we haven't had a SINGLE snow day at school! It always seems to fall on weekends, or in the middle of the night, never in the morning.

Here's to hoping for that elusive snow day...and to hoping that my hands warm up once I am finished typing this post!