thoughts on winter

Remember winters when you were a kid? They were the best ever! We lived in Michigan for most of my childhood, first in Mt. Pleasant (which is further north) and then in Grand Rapids. But my grandma lived in Canada, so we would go to visit her almost every other weekend when the driving conditions were tolerable, so I remember countless hours spent outside in the snow. My dad would come out and help us dig tunnels in these 5-foot snowbanks piled up in front of my grandma's house, and Becky and I would be out in the snow for hours on end...I remember coming inside and not being able to feel my toes, my fingertips, my nose, my ears--no matter how much clothing I would wear. One time I licked a metal shovel...and that didn't go over so well. I didn't actually get stuck, but I remember pulling the shovel away really fast and seeing a layer of skin left on the metal. I don't think I told my parents about that. And one time we went sledding and my mom nearly broke her tailbone by going off a ramp that some kids had built at the park down the street. I don't think Becky and I fully understood how painful that probably was for her....now that I'm getting older, it's finally starting to make sense. And even when I was in high school, my friends and I would go sledding at Pasfield Park or Centennial Park (which is not a natural hill--it's just a big pile of dirt that was turned into a hill). And it was fun.

I don't really enjoy winter any more. And I think it's because I drive so much. If snow would not affect roads or make my windshield impossible to see through, I wouldn't mind it so much. But when I have to dig my car out, I am not a happy camper. And it's cold for so long....I am ready for spring. Maybe even summer.

But if you ask me to go sledding, I might say yes. As long as it's not terribly cold. Or windy. Or snowing. And I don't have to drive very far. Maybe you could come pick me up. Because it really is fun.