Stop.
Stop
complaining.
Stop complaining about the weather!
If you live in almost any part of Canada, whether you were
born here or moved here later on in life, you are living in a country where we
have winter. Winter is cold. Winter is icy. Winter is snowy.
Come to think of it, I’m not entirely sure why I am
bothering to address the fine people in this country who immigrated here. They’re not the ones complaining...
So if a person can come from much, much warmer climates such
as India, southern China, and all of Africa can get through their days without
complaining about the weather, why-oh, why- can’t people born and raised here?
I believe life is all about choices. We can’t control the things that happen to us
(such as weather systems). Those things
are not choices. But how we react to
each and every thing that happens to us in life is a choice (Note: I am not
oblivious to the fact that there are many mental and physical conditions that
affect some people’s moods and ability to make proper choices. Individuals affected by these conditions
obviously are in a very different situation. I am talking about people who are healthy
physically and emotionally, but just grumpy about winter....)
Winter is awesome.
And, I say this as a woman who has severe osteoporosis and rheumatoid
arthritis, meaning I have to be doubly cautious in icy weather. And as both a
driver and a public transit user , meaning I have to deal with the weather
conditions whether regardless of how I travel. And as a mom, who has to make
sure the child is snowsuited and properly accessorized for the winter. And as an employee in an industry where I can’t
work from home.
Granted, Winter can be tough at times. I’m not thrilled with having to put on a coat
and boots before I go out, even for just a quick jaunt to the corner
store. I don’t take particular pleasure
in having to take the snow off my car before I drive away, or having to sit
there while the car defrosts, making me late on a regular basis. I get nervous driving on icy or snowy roads
in my little Honda Civic. I’m not
thrilled with that either.
But please take a moment to look at the cool things we get
to do because of we live in a place full of WINTER:
Winter Sports
Whether its skiing (cross-country or downhill),
snowboarding, skating, ice-fishing, snow-shoeing, playing hockey or ringette,
sliding down a hill on a toboggan or other kind of sled, you can’t do it in a
warm climate (with the exception of Summer hockey or ringette, which only exist
because they are so popular in the
winter). Ergo, without winter, you can’t
do any of these things!
Fun transportation
Many communities in Canada have places where you can take
advantage of Sleigh rides or dog sledding.
How cool is it that we are able to spend time appreciating the beautiful
animals that have been placed on this earth to team up with us in making
transportation more fun and exciting!
Winter “crafts”
Ice or snow plus food colouring =amazingly beautiful igloos
and lawn ornaments! What a bummer than
people to the will never experience this!
Snow forts! Snowball fights! Again-only available in Winter climates!
Beavertails
Eating a Beavertail used to be only possible for us Ottawa folks,
but now Beavertails are available elsewhere too. Here’s the thing: if you’ve had a Beavertail
in the Summer and one in the Winter, you know that Winter Beavertails are a
million times more deliciouser than Summer Beavertails (And if you’re planning
on commenting that “deliciouser” isn’t a real word, you have obviously never
tasted a word-inventingly-amazing treat like a Winter Beavertail)
Winter accessories
Cute hats, beautiful warm cozy scarves, funny or original
mittens, leg warmers, head bands, Oh my!
How amazing that we can take a mandatory but usually boring piece of
clothing (a coat) and change it up every day with cute accessories! The variety is mind-blowing! I have about 15 magic scarves that I cycle
through, matching with either my boots, my mittens, my regular clothes,
etc. It’s fun and exciting to figure out
“what shall we wear today?”. Winter
accessories are sooooo much fun!!!!
Warm drinks
I don’t enjoy warm drinks.
I spent the first 40 years of my life avoiding them.
Then, this year, I got all excited about teas. I started drinking a lot of it. And hot chocolate. And hot apple cider. And unfortunately, coffee... But I realized that I don’t enjoy these
drinks unless I am cold. So we’ve
adjusted the temperature in our home so that it is cooler (which not only is
free, it also saves us money in the winter!)
Warm drinks are yet another amazing bonus of living in a wonderful
country that has cold weather. Embrace
this!!!
Cozy blankets and pyjamas
Seriously, need I say more???
An excuse to cuddle up and watch a movie
Seriously, how awesome is getting snuggled up with a big
bowl of popcorn, watching a movie? There
are lots of things to do in the Summer instead of watching movies. So in the winter, after a big day outside,
Attending Winter themed festivals
Winterlude! Jack FrostFestival! Carnaval de Québec! So many
opportunities to see ice sculptures, do fun outdoor activities and spend time
with friends and family being goofy and having fun.
Maple Syrup
Although more of a Spring activity and product than a winter
one, it only is available as a result of having had the Winter. Sap needs regular frosts and thaws in order
to flow. And seriously, you can consume
many maple products but none is as delicious and amazing as Maple taffy on
snow. And for snow, you need.... Winter!
:-) Ok, ok, you can make snow in
other ways, but a) it’s not the same and b) you still need the winter weather
for the sap to flow to make the Maple taffy!
And, of course, Christmas just isn’t the same without snow....
So yes, it’s cold.
And snowy. And windy. And icy.
And you have the choice to bellyache about it or embrace the
wonderfulness of it. We are so, so lucky
to have 4 seasons. Why do you choose to be
so grumpy during this one? Huh?
STOP!
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