It’s seems as though we’ve gone from dreaming of a white Christmas to living a white nightmare. No doubt, it’s been a rough winter so far, one that started early and is going strong as we head into mid-February. When Shakespeare deemed April the “cruelest month,” he clearly hadn’t experienced a Maine winter; January and February would compete fiercely for the title. April? No competition there.
We’ve gotten used to cleaning off our cars and shoveling our driveways, stairs and walkways, and even to suiting up in bulky winter coats and goofy looking hats. When winter seems to drag on with storm after storm, however, it starts to affect the normal pace of life ”“ and that’s when we’re in danger of going stir crazy or feeling the winter blues. The gray days, debilitating storms, isolation and constant cleanup wear on all of us after a fashion.
For schoolchildren, snowdays are awesome at first ”“ a rite of passage as a student in the great, white north ”“ but after they start to pile up, it’s with the sickening realization that you’ll be going to school nearly up to July 1, cutting summer break down significantly. Some schools are trying to fight back against the snow day pile-up by instituting work-at-home days for students, which removes the mystique altogether but at least keeps productivity up and summer break intact.
The winter headaches never seem to stop piling up, with cancellations of not only school but also meetings, informal meet-ups, sports matches, performances, appointments of all kinds ”“ you never know what’s happening or not happening. If your activity is still going on as scheduled, you have to leave extra early to brave treacherous roads and risk the possibility of getting injured or damaging your vehicle. If it’s not, you miss out on the social interaction/business/fun you were looking forward to getting done, and it gets pushed off, either indefinitely or often to a less convenient time.
There are parking bans, slippery sidewalks, biting winds, frozen car doors and falling icicles to contend with, too. All in all, it’s no fun to go about daily life during a rough Maine winter, no matter how much you may enjoy snowmobiling or sledding on the weekend.
Ultimately, we all have to face the facts: We live here because it’s pretty darn nice from May through November, with temperatures that let us experience the full range of the seasons. We can do everything from ice skating to swimming within a few miles of our homes, depending on the time of year, and watch the trees turn from bright green to bright red to bright white ”“ and even sparkling crystal.
Besides, even if you wanted to get away for a week or two to someplace with above-freezing temperatures, it’s a real gamble to take your chances of getting a flight out, and one back in, without a night or two spent sleeping on the airport floor, awaiting a return to normalcy after the blizzards pass.
All we can really do is hunker down, like we always have, and bear it. As they say, whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, so let’s revel in our Yankee toughness as we look toward spring. And in the meantime, we should all make a point of getting out of the house as often as we can during those brief thaws and sit in a sunny room to soak up some rays whenever the sun decides to make an appearance. Unless you’ve found enjoyment in winter sporting activities, social interaction and outdoor fun are less frequent for many of us during these difficult months, but we should look at it as a welcome break from the busy summer and fall months.
Winter is a time when holing up at home is A-OK, a time to read those books you haven’t gotten to, improve your skills in your hobby, clean up the house or learn a new skill in the kitchen or workshop. Before you know it, the tourists will be creating stop-and-go traffic, motorcycles with illegal pipes will be rumbling by at all hours and the lawn will need to be mowed. So let’s enjoy this season for its better attributes rather than dwelling on all the inconveniences, and do whatever it takes to keep our spirits up until this starts feeling like Vacationland once again.
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Today’s editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen by calling 282-1535, ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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