For every ten moms spicing up their lives with pumpkin flavored everything, there's at least one bummed out momma refusing to wear a jacket, holding on to the dwindling days of summer with one hand and clutching a coffee in the other.
That one mom is me.
I get my love of warm weather honestly. My mother called me last week (it's currently November), and asked me if she should put away her flip flops. With frost nearly on the ground, I had a good laugh and advised her that yes, it's probably about time. But I get it- I know why she can't muster up the motivation to put socks on.
Summer and I have a love affair. There's just something about the smell of freshly cut grass and stale chlorine on my skin, that sits well with my soul. My love for the warmer months has been passed on to me by my mother, and I have passed it on to my almost 2 year old daughter. This summer I've watched her play outside in her sandtable, breaking only to chase frogs across the back yard. She loves porch-sitting in her favorite swing, or whing, as she affectionately calls it.
We've made so many memories on our little slice of grass this year. But if I've learned anything about living in Ohio, it's that the cold months are as long as the summer is short. What follows fall is no one's choice of weather- it's basically a real life portrayal of Frozen with very cold cows standing in for the beautiful princesses.
So when the weather gets too crisp to indulge my daughter's requests to go whing, I feel a sense of betrayal and develop a little chip on my shoulder.
It's not that I don't like fall. I do like it, at least on the surface. Fall smells delicious, the breeze is perfectly crisp, and it's exciting to wear a plaid vest every now and then. But like the witches that fly in October, fall betrays me toward the end of November and turns into her cruel older sister winter.
Winter is such a witch. Every year she steals away my love for fall because I know she is lurking right around the corner.
There is something about winter that reminds me of a void. There's nothing there; it's perfectly still and hollow. When Santa goes back to the North Pole and the thrill of wearing fleece leggings has faded, I'm usually moping around the house googling what day the local pool will be open for business.
But this year I have every reason to fend off my winter time blues. In fact, this year I need to soak up every memory I can with my precious daughter who can't seem to stop growing.
What if summer is a state of mind?
There's just something about it's freedom, and sunniness that makes you want to live better. And this winter, I'm going to try to keep the good living going, even in those long, late winter months. When the leaves are long gone, and there's nothing to do in the evening except cuddle up under blankets and spend time with my family, I'm hoping to embrace the boredom. Maybe this is the year that my winter blues stay at bay, and I realize how important it is to embrace every season, even the cold and dreary ones. I pray that whether I'm in the frigid depths of February or sitting in front of a sprinkler in July, I can look around and smile about something.
As I sit here this very second, I watch out my window as the burnt orange leaves make their descent to the ground. Soon they will brown, and then they will be gone. Before I know it, I will be sitting underneath the same knitted blanket, gulping coffee to stay warm, and watching snow fly.
Then one still morning, I will wake up to birds chirping outside my bedroom window.
I'll be ecstatic at the thought of warm weather on the horizon, as I open my eyes. But on this sweet day that I hear the birds again in the spring, my daughter's hair will be a few inches longer and her words will have become full sentences. Her features will be more defined, and her personality will too. And I will stare at her in bewilderment, wondering where my baby has gone.
Yes, I'm sure when the warmer months arrive, I will readily embrace them. But I'm not going to let the little witch of winter steal my happy this year. I've got my sunshine right where it needs to be, cuddled up with me under the covers on this chilly Tuesday morning. And it's more than enough to keep me smiling through the seasons.
