Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to live here. Why? We don’t have snow, except for that one freak occurrence in the late 1970s.
In fact, I often forget how lucky I am to live here. I recently returned from an amazing trip to Boston – and Boston has many things to recommend it. It’s a very walk able area, so for most of the first day I just walked, getting to known Boston and Brookline. In fact, I was able to walk fifteen miles in the three days I was there. There was always something new to explore and amazing museums seemed to be on every corner. Plus, I was in the company of wonderful friends. What could be better?
See, sometimes I get annoyed with Florida and long for real winters where I could wear those exotic things called coats and mittens.
So Very, Very Cold
But, I was reminded, it gets really cold in the northeast. Really cold. The kind of cold that should have its own zip code or should at least turn into some kind of supernatural monster. Life with snow is – forgive me for sounding simple – freezing. How can you go from Florida’s clear, year round weather to three below zero? As much as I romanticize the snow and picture little snowflakes merrily clustering around the windowpanes while I snuggle inside my imaginary northeast home with a good book, I know that’s not the reality of life with snow. The reality of life with snow is very, very cold.
No Snow Driving
This deserves a gratitude category of its own after hearing the winter horror stories of friends who have survived blizzards or freak snowstorms, and through it all have managed to dig their car out of the snow in order to get to work. If I had to get up and dig my car out of the ice in order to make a living, I really am not exaggerating when I say that telecommuting might be my only option. If that wouldn’t be an option, at least I’d be warm and unemployed as opposed to employed and possibly dead of hypothermia. On the plus side, we who live in Florida will never have that issue. While we may drive in squalling summer winds or in 94-degree heat, we’ll never, ever need to drive in the snow.
No Snow, Good Sunsets
In Florida, you can go to the beach year round if the fancy takes you. You can go swimming in December. Plus, the sunsets really are amazing – a mixture of orange and pink and red that lights up the sky. I might get that somewhere else, but I wouldn’t be able to wear a tee shirt year-round.
