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Jan 11, 2023Liked by Sarah Lavender Smith

I lived on the coast for most of my life and moved to the mountains just over 4 years ago. While I wouldn’t describe myself as a warm-weather person, I do struggle to stay warm in the snowy season (especially since I have Reynaud’s). For me, the key has been finding winter activities I’m truly stoked about (skiing, snowshoeing, and trail running) and then getting gear that helps me enjoy them more (which I recognize is a privilege and not an option for everyone). Heated socks have been a game-changer for cold ski days, and spiked running shoes have made running much more enjoyable.

And the other piece has been learning to say no things I’ve realized I don’t actually enjoy, and reframing it not as missing out but as choosing to recognize and prioritize how I actually want to feel and spend my time (like your choice to stay home instead of going out in a storm to ski powder). I am not the most badass person around and that’s ok—self-acceptance!

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Jan 11, 2023Liked by Sarah Lavender Smith

Ha, "accept where you are" is kinda the only place I can be right about now;)

I don't like running ion cold weather much either, but I do enjoy all kinds of skiing (alpine and Nordic). I also don't like that (normally) I am a 5 am runner, and in the winter it's the darkest and coldest time. Layers, slipping on ice, no views. I just suck it up and don't let myself think. Yet, agree, doesn't mean I love it. During the day we actually here more often than not get above freezing, but there's this job thing and other responsibilities, and as I said, I am just not "after breakfast" runner. It's first thing, or no go. Anyway, no advice besides "just brace yourself", and indeed, TM could be nice - I've wished we had more space in our 1928 tiny house for it ever since we moved 4 years ago.

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Jan 12, 2023·edited Jan 12, 2023Liked by Sarah Lavender Smith

Arrgh...GD Sarah, your essay title was so damn funny I almost needed a man diaper I laughed so much. I have been cold, hypothermic, and been cavalier in the face of old man winter. But dang, old man me is generally losing his cold resiliency as my seasoning is getting refined (?) by life. I get outside and do the business, dont get me wrong, but instead of saying "Hee Hah" its more "Oof" as I slog it out. But I keep at it, convincing myself Vitamin D is better served outdoors instead of in pill form. Needless to say, trying to "re-kindle" my core to get outside and run, well, it is an inner dialog tinged with self-rancor and salty language (kidding a bit here)... and then I wind up in the gym lifting weights anyway saying "lets stay toasty and cross train today." At least your timely writing can shift my inner dialog and instead of wondering "what is wrong with me, ugh"...I can sing to myself "No One is Alone" from Into the Woods and smile. Thank goodness for the alliance you've created. Bundle up.

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Jan 12, 2023Liked by Sarah Lavender Smith

yes!!! thank you Sarah, for your honesty and so much of what you say rings true for me. And that title just says it all.... First I'll say I live in Vermont. "Forced enthusiasm" I have been "trying" to LOVE winter and while I do love a perfect bluebird 40 degree winter day after a fresh snowfall that is not "really winter." haha! So I still embrace the cold and gray and icy and put on my goretex winter screw running shoes (game changers!) and twenty layers and feel like a badass! A few years ago I discovered snow shoe running and that I truly love... but sadly the snow has not been happening lately. (Thank you climate change.) I do not care for any of the skiing sports. I am not that coordinated...ha! Also, hurling my body down a mountain terrifies me. I have never liked driving in snow although I have been doing it my whole life. That being said I LOVE the seasons and spring wouldn't feel as magical if the winter wasn't there. Although I love what you said "If only we could regulate the amounts and severity, as if we had a knob to turn down the weather volume." I also hate being cold (thank you raynauds) and am always in layers and layers. I do love drinking coffee and reading books, so maybe I need to give myself more grace and do those things more!

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I didn’t realize your challenges dealing with winter Sarah. I’m kind of the opposite since I grew up in Minn. 3rd -8th grade. We bombed the snowy hills with cumbersome wooden toboggans, & ice skated in the winter show productions that Carleton College put on. We skied as a social activity & it was just something our “gang” did. Neighborhood groups would grab the family snow shovels & we would skate on the frozen rivers clearing our paths as we went. I’ve lived in a snow environment more than anywhere else ( MN, NY, NH, CO, & now UT) I too really enjoy a sun kissed vacation but scraping my frozen windshield still feels like a right of passage. We truly ARE where we have lived!! I wouldn’t know any other way!

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I recently moved from SoCal to Colorado Springs. I have never shoveled snow in my life. I have no clue what I'm doing. I tried a cheap snow shovel from Home Depot, it was back breaking. I looked online and found a snow pusher. Worked great, but it was not use against the storm we had few weeks ago at 10-12 inches of snow. Now I'm really tempted to get a motorized snow plow. I'm adjusting to the winter life in The Springs. I would have never thought that I would be happy to see 40F temperature and get excited to go running outside! I'm adapting to the cold temps, trying to figure out what layers work and what doesn't. I'm not sure if I like the winter yet. But couple of new things I enjoy are snowshoeing and hiking in snow with my wife. We hike often and it has brought us closer together. In March, I signed up for a snowshoe race. Next month, I'm doing 12 hours of RUFA at Staunton Park which will be in snow. I think I have the right gear for that day. Shopping for snow gear and trying them out has been fun. Anyway, all that to say, I'm not a winter person, I don't know how to be one, but I'm gonna try to be one, we'll see how it goes in couple of years of this. I like what you said about appreciating the other 3 seasons more because of the winter. I do look forward to, maybe even dream of, running in shorts and short sleeves again, exploring the mountains. Knowing that winter is coming back will let me appreciate my time during non-snow months, I can't wait.

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