For those of us in the Midwest the deepest part of winter is from mid-January to mid-February. That is when the coldest temperatures occur. That, among other things is what this post is all about.

I will say it as bluntly as I can,

I Hate Winter

It is a time when I, due to my lack of balance and numerous back compression fractures, am home bound. I simply can’t afford another fall on the ice. It could prove fatal! Winter is a time of depression for me.

Getting slightly off track, I recently turned on an option on my Firefox browser to give them permission to put short messages from the Manzillo Foundation at the bottom of the browser during my morning login. I’m glad I did. The quote above from one of my literary heroes was the first one I got. It helped me to remember that I need to keep things in perspective even when it comes to winter.

I learned from my Yin/Yang studies that everything in life is about dualism. There are always two ways of looking at everything we encounter in life. Without these dreadful winter months the warmth of Summer would not be as sweet. Without the leaves coming down in the Fall you can’t appreciate the rebirth of nature in the Spring. You might say that everything you love in life needs to be accompanied by some sadness. Without sadness there can be no joy. With that understanding of winter it makes this particular season more tolerable than it used to be.

I don’t want to say this too loud, but I have actually come to tolerate winter more than I used to. I do appreciate the extra time indoors. It allows me to do more contemplative thinking, and to do more blog re-inventions. And it does give me a break from all the mowing of summer.

Since global warming is causing a lot less below freezing weather here in south central Indiana, I can get out more than I could just a few years ago. 🙃 I guess I might have to admit that I don’t hate winter as much as I used to…