End of Summer 2014 – Here Comes Winter……….

Here it is October 1st, the leaves are falling, the temperature has dropped radically, and most noticeably, it’s getting dark at about 5:30 PM. No doubt about it, the summer of 2014 has come and gone. Before we know it, we’ll be bundled up in winter coats, shoveling or snow-blowing our driveways, freezing our butts getting into frigid cars, sliding around on icy walkways, looking at a grey and white landscape and hiding out indoors. I love it!

When I admit that, everyone I know, (except for one sleepy client today), looks at me like I have two heads. They freely complain about all the above developments, expecting me to commiserate, and when instead I get all warm and fuzzy about the upcoming six-month winter, they probably begin to wonder if they’re sitting with a sane person. Some never come back for another session…

I’m convinced that I have the opposite of Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) – the condition in which some people’s brain chemistry shifts into depressive mode around the lowered level and duration of light in the colder months. For me, I get happier as the skies get grayer and the weather gets murkier. I call it “sultry” weather – nice and cloudy and real chilly. It reminds me of happy adventures in Ireland and England. It may also be some nostalgic fragment of genetic memory from my slavic ancestry, harkening me back to the cold, dark weather in Russia and Poland where my grandparents grew up. Or, maybe I really am psychotic. But whatever the origin, I’ll share some reasons why you too might look forward to the six month “winter” we’re famous for here in Maine, instead of getting all bummed out about it:

• If it was warm and sunny all the time you’d lose the excitement about seasonal changes
• When it’s murky and cold out there’s no pressure to do fabulous things outdoors
• Grey, cold days give you space to be still and contemplative, less busy and frenetic
• There’s no need for air conditioners, fans, and other costly energy hogs
• You don’t have to tend to your garden or your lawn when there’s 2 feet of snow outside
• Without the chill of winter you’d never have an excuse to wear all those groovy boots
• Baths and hot tubs are much more delectable when you’re freezing your ass
• You have much more reason to tuck in with a good movie, book or instrument
• How would you ever experience the joy of skiing or snowshoeing without the snow?
• Without winter there would be no savoring of good soups, stews or comfort food
• There’s no earthly joy like climbing under a cozy down quilt when it’s frigid outside
• Monotone landscapes rest your eyes and brain from all those vibrant summer colors
• You pet your thankful dog, cat or hamster more when you’re hanging out indoors
• You have more time to read deep, thought-provoking blogs like this one

What more can I say?

So, if you have S.A.D. and are starting to get depressed facing the arctic blast, get one of those special lights to reset your brain chemistry, sit back and relax!