Saturday, January 9, 2010
Baby, It's Cold Out There!!
Two long sleeve shirts, a thick hoodie sweatshirt, fleece pants, fur-lined boots, and a thick scarf...no I am not visiting Antartica - I am sitting at the computer inside my home in Florida, and I am FREEZING!!! For those who live in parts of the country where it is always cold this time of year, please understand - we are not used to this!! It has been 30 degrees below normal for about a week now, and today some areas had sleet and even snow flurries!! One of the main reasons we moved here is because I have never tolerated the cold very well... so to say I was not looking forward to the plunging temperatures is an understatement!! I've heard the theory that after living in a warm climate for a while, your blood thins and you feel the cold more. So if this is true, I figured after living here for more than 20 years, I might have a tough time handling more than a week of freezing weather. But it turns out the cold weather has been a nice surprise and a nice change...and got me thinking about how often we anticipate the worst, and more often than not, wind up pleasantly surprised!!

That's the thing about negative anticipation...we worry, we resist, we expect the worst. But usually when change does occur, things almost always work out better than we expected!! Look at my experience this week with the cold weather...it actually turned out to be a nice change. The cool weather was invigorating. It's brought about an opportunity to communicate with people I might not have connected with otherwise - neighbors, and even srangers...everyone here is talking about the weather! Since it's a bit too cold to be out for long, people seem to be spending more time indoors - I've heard several stories of family movie or game nights, or those who are lingering over meals a little longer than usual.

This experience has been a good reminder that big changes and small changes are really just opportunities to experience something different, a way to challenge ourselves, a chance to shift into another mode, and even come away with a fresh or new perspective on things. When the world around us changes, it creates possiblities for us to change, too.

I won't be sorry to see the cold weather go, but I am glad it was here. So next summer when it is hot and humid, I will be able to remind myself of how it feels to be cold! I have the wonderful memories of the fun (but bundled up) long walks my husband and I have taken, and the really great quality family time we've spent. And I also have the answer to a question I have often pondered: if I ever had to go back up North would I be able to handle the cold?? I may not like it, but I now know I can survive it!!! ;-) ~ Andrea


Written at 5:45 PM by Andrea.
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