I always thought as I got older I would become less
enthusiastic about winter. I didn’t
expect it to happen so fast. I will list
my grievances.
Cold: Cold means a
lot of things. It means bundling up; layers
of clothing, warm socks, boots, heavy jackets, hats, and gloves. As a kid I hated how long it took to get
ready to go outside in winter; now I hate it much more. I hate it because it takes me so much longer
to get my socks on, zip my jacket, and pull my gloves on. I haven’t laced up shoes or boots in what
feels like forever. I made it through summer
and fall with a pair of Crocs, and now I’m into a pair of Merrell
slip-ons.
I encounter an interesting dilemma in the winter; wear mittens
or gloves and lose hand function to the bulky layers of fabric, or don’t and
lose hand function to the cold. I won’t
go into the hassle of getting the mittens on my hands; it involves teeth.
Have you ever experienced slurred speech or stiff muscles in
the cold? Muscles don’t work as well
when they are cold. My hands stop
working almost entirely. Let me explain
what I mean. You know the debit card
machine at the grocery store? Imagine
having trouble gripping your card enough to swipe without causing a “read error”. That doesn’t take much strength. And of course grocery stores are always
cold.
Snow: In itself snow
isn’t so bad, in fact it can help make cold temperatures more tolerable. But then a layer of snow means, at the very
least walking on uneven ground. This is
another challenge I wouldn’t have seen coming.
Ice: I’m fucking
terrified of ice. Okay I’m not really,
but I should be. I remember the days
when I looked at an icy driveway as fun; getting a full head of steam in the
garage to go sliding across the ice “risky business” style. I should be terrified because there is a good
chance I could fall, and slam my elbow, knee, hip, wrist, or head on the
ice. Sadly I’m scared more that someone
will see me fall, or catch me floundering on my hands and knees, and “overreact”. I really don’t want that kind of attention.
I am always thinking about the places I go; the potential
hazards I will face. Winter adds yet
another layer of concern. All of this means I get out less in winter; not what I need.
I very much
understand why older folks move south for the winter. It’s a matter of personal safety.
