dear Minnesota

First snowfall of 2010, November 13, 2010

Hello, new state of residence.  This may be the first of many letters to you regarding your weather. I found your summer to be viciously sweltering, your autumn just divine, but winter, oh winter.   Let me begin by saying that growing up in Michigan, I experienced many a winter, so in theory I’m not brand new to this season, it’s just that since graduating high school, we’ve been separated and I’m terribly unsure about our reunion.

I opted for college in sunny and warm Florida, enjoying winter the best way, for three weeks around Christmas.  Post college, I spent a year in California, where life is beautiful and perfect, filled with In-N-Out burgers (but that is another story).  California introduced me to Matt and we settled near Nashville, where winter is short and cool, as in it only snows a handful of days each winter.  So, in the last eight years, winter and I have become acquaintances who’ve drifted apart, with no real desire to reconnect.  It’s not me… it’s you.

And now, for some reason, I find myself in Minnesota on November 15, 2010, looking out over a world of   cold, white snow.  From the safety and warmth of my living room, it’s a lovely, winter wonderland, but yesterday I left the house and my nose was cold and my socks got wet.  I have a feeling that your chilly winter oppression will long overstay its welcome. 

I keep telling myself that I must wait at least a few weeks to start declaring the inevitable, “WHY DID WE MOVE HERE??”  (Explicative optional).  However, I find this thought creeping into my head, every time I consider the reality that I WILL have to drive somewhere at some point in the upcoming months. 

Sure, I enjoy hot cocoa, scarves, sweaters, warm blankets, cozy fires, pretty Christmas lights, and all the pleasantries of the holidays, but I don’t see myself becoming a fan of darkness at 5pm and temperatures that make me feel as if my entire body has been dunked in ice water, repeatedly.  

With all that said,  I’m afraid you’re not offering me much of a choice, Minnesota.  I do not see your stone cold heart budging in the winter department. So,  I will try to  face this beast  of a villain named Jack Frost to the best of my abilities.  May the best man win.

Skeptical,

Liv