I awaken to a light sky now. And though the thermometer might say it’s 30 degrees, with temperatures dropping this afternoon, I know this is only temporary. Even on a 10 degree February day, the sun is warmer, allowing for the ice to melt on the rooftops and puddle on the sidewalks. And though I may wake up with that feeling of “blah,” I can feel it lift sooner. I repeat my mantra once or twice, and then hop out of bed. Good for the day. It’s all good.
I have to admit, I think about being a snowbird more and more each year. I have a few friends who live in the southern states, and I have a few friends who go south for the winter, if only for a month or two, and I try to figure out in my brain how I can make that happen. For me, the issue is that Jeff likes the cold Minnesota winters. He likes to ice fish and build fires. He does get cold though, which he never used to, so I think to myself, “Bide your time. Soon he’ll be wanting wamer winters too.”
The other issue for me, is that being away means being away from my kids and future grandchildren. I don’t know if I could do that. That is why I don’t think a permanent move south would work for me or my family.
And so I contemplate spending time in the south, but not more than a month or two. I am reminded that my mom went through these same thoughts, and she and Clarence spent their first 20 retirement years living down south for at least a part of winter. I want that.
But today, stuck in Minnesota with not enough cash flow to send me somewhere warm for a month, I remind myself that the days are getting longer and the sun is getting warmer and spring is just around the corner.
Peace