Even though I shouldn’t be complaining, I will.
Living in a place where it is sunny and clear 90% of the time lowers my resistance to the worst kind of mental influenza, cabin fever.
Yes, in the beginning, the rain is fun. Something exhilarating because I’m not used to. The tip-tapping sound on my roof. The startling sound of thunder kinda gets me excited. A cool breeze blowing against my face – I even get to wear a jacket!. But, being an outdoor junky, if this occurs for more than a couple of days, I start to get irritable.
I don’t understand how people in other parts of the country can put up with wet socks, muddy foyers, frizzy hair (so I’m told), slippery roads, and all the other bedevilments of an atmospheric depression. Nope, not for me. That’s why I live here, not there.
Unfortunately, this malady affected me in the not-so-distant past as well and had nothing to do with the weather. Our good old friend, Mr. COVID. The lockdowns put me right in the same place I am now. Inside. On the couch.
Cabin fever – being restless and irritable because I have been indoors in one place for too long.
What happens during this state of delirious doldrums? My mind, being the place no sane person should enter, goes to the same place it does when I buy a lottery ticket (The Mega Millions was 1.1 billion dollars btw), I contemplate the “what if” and the “what would I do.” What if the the sun was actually on my head instead of a cold, wet mop?
Here is what I would do. I would walk around my neighborhood with my dog. I would go on a bike ride or play basketball with my kids. I’d go camping, kayaking or fishing. I’d be able to fix the sprinklers in my backyard and actually enjoy doing it, maybe . Or I’d be sitting on my outdoor sofa, on my patio, with the fire pit going and writing a blog about something else instead of being inside, under a blanket, complaining about my seasonal affective disorder.
Oh well, looking at the weather for the next week, it doesn’t look like my attitude is going to improve much. I do have an advantage over most though, when I go to work, wet socks and all, I am able to look at all the cool new outdoor furniture designs and think about how all the future owners of these pieces will use them. Birthday parties, weekend barbecues, working on the next great American novel, or just lounging with Fido – reading a book or taking a nap.
Happy Thoughts
…Or, I can just dream about winning the lottery, but dreaming about the outdoors is a little more realistic.
Take care,
WR