Remember to Give Winter A Chance

Winter is not my favorite time of year. That honor goes to autumn. My adult winters are a far cry from my childhood when dreams of snow days, skipping school, and suiting up for an epic snowball fight across the neighborhood danced through my head as much as sugarplum fairies. Now, my wintry cynicism has been iced ten times over as I recall my five-plus hour frightening commute home from work through a blizzard. My car refusing to cooperate with simple tasks like starting. The as-dangerous-as-advertised "black ice" waiting to ambush unsuspecting pedestrians. 

So, it comes with a surprising click of a link to read about how Scandinavians spend most of their days in an eternal winter. I too often forget the magic of winter. No, I'm not just talking about the spectacle of Christmas lights moving in time to TSO's Carol of The Bells. (Although, boy can I watch that at any point in the year).  Spending five years up at Binghamton University seems to the closest I will get to living somewhere in Scandinavia: long winters, dark days, etc. Yet...when it snowed, I found myself taking night walks around campus. Bundling up, I trekked trough the snow and warm amber lights surrounded by the absolutely, priceless sounds of silence. Except the soft crunch of my boots, of course.

The fuzzy, orange night glow at Binghamton University during winter

I guess this is what the Norwegians refer to as friluftsliv ("open air life"): it was a liberating moment for me - some of my best story ideas came from these late night excursions. Just like jumping into a cold pool - sure, it's cold at first, but you get used to it after a while. The same goes for winter. 

Even the Norwegian koselig of finding contentment around others during these dark days rings true. Back in January 2011 I went on my first skip trip with a bunch of my teen travel campers up to Smuggler's Notch Vermont. While skiing was beyond stressful (the pizza slice method of stopping does....not....work!), it was fun to go night-tubing, tell stories around an outdoor fire, watch the Jets upset the Colts in the playoffs and then engage in a melee, free-for-all in the snow in celebration. 

This year....oh boy. I'm going to need a little more Scandinavian magic to bring me back to these forgotten moments in my life. Coronavirus may alter some plans, but it just means it's time to be more creative than ever.