The Waiting Game

I’m always in a hurry to get from November to April. I hate winter, hate being cold and having to deal with hats, coats, gloves, etc. Not a fan of ice or snow, either. By January, I’m desperately in need of sunshine – not the clear sun of a sharp winter day, but warm, skin-toasting rays of summer sun.

This year, however, I have another reason to rush to April. I need information. My family and I will be in limbo through these cold winter months. We’ll be waiting for news of college acceptances, coach’s decisions, financial aid packages, NSF grants and PhD programs.

There’s a lot on the line. For example, will I be able to start the kitchen project we’ve talked about for years, or will that be pushed to the back burner for another four years? Will our kids be living on opposite sides of the country for the next few years? Will our daughter still be in school, or will she get a job and begin the no-vacation phase of life? How much support will she need?

We won’t know the answers to these questions until April.

Patience has never been my strong suit, so months of waiting sounds like pure torture to me. I’m thinking the bears have the right idea. I’d like to stuff myself on a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings, second helpings of pecan pie for good measure, and then drift into hibernation for four months. I’d love to enjoy a long, deep sleep then wake to spring sunshine and all the answers to the questions that will determine the course of our lives for the next several years!

So Sad about Summer

Labor Day weekend. It’s generally accepted as the end of summer, even though the calendar officially says Sept. 21st.

The pools close, the boats are put away, cabins are closed, kids go back to school, and I get a little depressed. Because I know what’s coming. Some people look forward to the cool breezes and crisp air of autumn. Some of that is okay. It’s nice that the humidity subsides. But the real problem is that I know what’s coming after that. Fall is usually a short blip around here. And then Old Man Winter settles in for a long and tedious visit.

Winters can – and often do – last six months around here. Ugh.

I think I’ll say that again. Ugh. It gets cold and dark. It snows. We get ice storms. Did I mention the cold? I guess for me, winter just makes things more difficult: Keeping track of coats and scarves and gloves. Cleaning up after snow, the mud, the salt, the drips. It’s harder to see at night. Driving is more dangerous. People withdraw into their houses.

For six long months I wait for spring, for warmer temperatures and longer days – when a day really lasts all day, not just until 5 p.m.  People seem happier in the summer. Blue skies and sunny days have a way of cheering things up. The neighbors are out, patios are used, flowers color the landscape. There’s a sense of having more time. Summers don’t seem to slow down for us. There’s too much to do. But it’s easier to do those things. So much more pleasant to be able to step outside without coats and all the winter accessories. I so much prefer to be greeted by warm sunshine than arctic wind. As winter looms before me, I just hope I’ve soaked up enough sunshine to get me through the days ahead.

Sigh. It’s Labor Day weekend. Bye-bye, summer. You’ll be missed.