The Coldest Winter Ever (He he!)

I never read Sister Souljah's book. I've only heard great things about it, but for whatever reason... It's been on my bookshelf for years and I haven't cracked it open. Maybe this will be the year that I actually take the time to read the Essence Best-Seller -- who knows. In the meantime, let me tell you about MY coldest winter ever.

It was February 2007 and the temperature was a chilly twenty four degrees fahrenheit. Brrrrrrr.... Hat, gloves, scarf -- all were necessary if I was going to bear "the hawk" that was outside my door. Those cotton, long-sleeved pajamas that I got for Christmas came in handy. The space heater that I'm not supposed to have at my desk is on HIGH. It is cold as a MUG. No snow... not much ice... but, FREEZING COLD nonetheless. I'm talkin' the kind of cold that makes it sooo difficult to get a move on it in the mornings... the kind of cold that leaves you with a taste for hot cocoa and gives you the "cuddle bug" -- you know the one that finds your fingers dialing a special someone so y'all can be freezing cold together. :-)

I Tend To Exaggerate...

Okay, you got me. Twenty-something degrees below the Mason Dixon line is NOT my "coldest winter ever." In fact, it's NOTHING in comparison to what I experienced in New Jersey's "Blizzard of 96"... I almost forgot about that frost-biting January weekend in NYC back in 03... and the snow storm in D.C. that nearly stopped my mom from birthing me at a local hospital was SO the 70s! I have experienced some COLD winters in my day, but for whatever reason, this past week found me totally blown away by how freaking cold my dear "hot"-lanta has become. How cold, you ask? So cold that I've decided to use this Monday's post to share a few "fun facts" on Winter.

Things You Didn't Know About Winter:

1. Winter babies like me... Researchers from Southampton University found that babies born in cold winters are more likely to suffer from obesity as adults. (I don't know why this makes me laugh. Maybe because I'm a fully-grown winter baby who weighs a whopping buck-O.... LOL!)

2. Tiny bits of dirt? When water freezes inside clouds, crystals form around tiny bits of dirt that have been carried up into the atmosphere by the wind. These ice crystals join together creating snow flakes. Once the flakes are heavy enough they fall to the ground as snow. (tiny bits of dirt... snow... and I used to EAT this?)

3. Snow Pink?? Believe it or not, snow is actually clear. It appears white because the crystals act as prisms, breaking up the light of the sun into the entire spectrum of color. Since the human eye is unable to handle that kind of sensory overload, we see the snow as white or sometimes blue. Or, if you live in a place where your soil is red, snow is pink. The red dust blows into the clouds, discoloring the snow. (Wow!!)

4. February blahs? Apparently, winter can have several "psychological" impacts on people. There are the "winter blues" and "February blahs." "Holiday depression", or doldrums, is also noted amongst people -- the severest case of which is diagnosed as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Symptoms include sleeping more, tiredness, depression, and physical aches. Although causes include genetic disposition and stress, the prevailing environmental influence is decreased exposure to light due to winter weather patterns and the increased amount of clothing that must be worn to keep warm.

You mean to tell me that the "increased amount of clothing" that I have to wear because it's cold as I-don't-know-what outside can lead to some kind of psychological disorder?!?! First, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are giving people salmonella, now too many warm clothes are causing depression -- IS ANYTHING SACRED?!?!

Button Up Your Coat & Walk Into Your Season...

As I laughed at those silly/interesting facts and thought about how brisk it is outside, I was reminded that - however cold - winter is but a SEASON that we have to go through. We're always excited to see it come (so we can bust out our cute boots and warm sweaters)... We can't rush it away (it's here December through February, whether we like it or not)... we'll reminisce about it when it's gone (and we're complaining of 100 degree temperatures come July)... and we'll never see another one exactly like it.

So, with that in mind, I remember Ecclesiastes 3:1, appreciate winter 07... AND revel in THIS wonderful SEASON of life.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 -- To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven...

Be blessed. Be warm. Be SEASONed. :-)