I didn’t have to wear my favorite hat once this winter. Where did winter go? Was it whisked away because somehow I didn’t deserve it, or because someone somewhere needed it more than me? Not everyone loves winter, but when you grow up in a country with four seasons, you learn to embrace each, or hate each. Hate has never been a feeling I enjoyed, so I tend to go with the flow, and embrace those things that I can’t change. So I love winter.
Now the days are longer and I am enjoying warmer than normal temperatures. I’m not complaining. I packed my favorite hat away with a promise of next winter.
But as I look back, I missed this year’s Sunday walk with Stuart and friends from the church trekking up the mountain in the newly fallen snow. I missed the annual winter carnival and the great time spent outside with friends from the community. And I especially missed the “true” snow-days when everyone was sequestered in their homes after a significant snow. Not the snow-days when freezing rain forced school closure, or snow fell briefly, followed by a dirge of rain, and ice flourished. There were no stunning frozen scenes along the brook this year, and the bay rarely steamed.
I know many would argue that it was a good winter; the roads great for travel. If there has to be a blessing in a non-winter year I guess that would be it. But I for one missed the high snow banks and the crisp, winter days perfect for outdoor activities. If we must live in this northern country, than it stands to reason that winter should be our friend. But the robins are here, and any snow we get now will be named for them. Daffodils are peeking their heads above ground, the maple trees are in bud, and I’ve heard rumors of crocuses in bloom. Time moves on, and so must I.
© 2012 by Maureen Newman. All rights reserved.
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