Summer is Ending
I was writing a comment over on Steve's Blog about the changing of seasons and the coming cooler weather, and I realized something. One of the reasons I have found myself battling depression lately is this very change that all you northerners seem to be so excited about.Everyone up here I am close to has lived most if not all of their lives in the northern states. I come in for my fair share of teasing and ribbing about being a bonafide, true Floridian in the sense that I was born and rasied there as opposed to moving there after retirement. And I don't mind, because most of it is true and rather funny. But there are times when I realize that being from a southern state, at times, is like being from another country and the natives speak a very different language.
For northerners, Fall seems to anticipated and enjoyed. I know most people don't like the heat of summer, but to me, the summer here was amazing. Other than a few of the hottest days, my AC was off and my windows were open for the bulk of the season. I start to get cold when the temperature drops below around 72, so with the highs hovering in the 80s most days, this was like heaven. It was a much-needed break from being cold and achy and being forced to spend the vast majority of my time indoors. But it was such a short time. Only a few short months, and now we are firmly heading back into the cold, and this year it seems worse than last year.
This year, I know what's coming, there isn't the thrill of experiencing something new. This year, I know to expect the strings of grey, wet days with no sun, the air that almost hurts to breathe sometimes because it is so cold, my fingers aching almost constantly, the absolute terror of being asked to drive my car with ice and snow on the ground... In short, I am dreading it and this break in the weather, this change of seasons only makes me want to cry and go back in time, beg for just a few more weeks of sunshine and warmth. I only get three, maybe four, short months of comfort and happiness before I am plunged directly back into the eight to nine month stretch that is life in the north. Even spring, which has always been my favorite season, was a traitor this year, giving me only a few hints of warmth before summer overtook it and ran right over the top of it.
So for those of you who keep asking me whats wrong, and why I'm so quiet and seem so sad lately, thats a big part of it. You can laugh if you want, I understand. In the meantime, I suppose I should just give in and go dig out the blankets I only put away a few weeks ago it seems. Several never even made it into storage since I never stopped using them. Hibernation is starting to look better and better every day.
posted by Toni @ 6:39 PM
Comments: 2
