November Is Cold In Wisconsin

I blinked and summer is gone. There was no warning, no gradual decline into frigid weather. One week we are averaging 35 degree days and the next week we are reaching subzero wind chills. And November has just begun.  Welcome to winter in Wisconsin.

Seriously, winter is the longest season in Wisconsin. It can start as early as late October and run all the way into May or June. I can remember as a child seeing snow on the first of June. As young as I was at the time, I recall the wonderment I felt at the fact that it was supposed to be close to summer and we were still seeing white stuff fall from the sky.

It’s too soon for winter to start for me. I’m not ready. But, I suppose, when are you ever ready if you know you will endure seasonal depression and cold-related joint pain? Even knowing it’s coming, it’s not something you can prepare for.  

I think November is one of the gloomiest months of winter because it’s just the beginning of the long period of miserable weather conditions.  It’s in November when the reality of the season hits you.

This year, it seems harder to deal with the incoming season than it has in the past. Perhaps this is because my life is still in complete upheaval. Currently, there is little stability for me. I feel like I am in constant flux.

Recent incidents have rendered me frozen emotionally as well as physically. When you can’t think straight, it’s hard to take action. For a couple weeks I was frozen in time, stuck in my own head without a clue how to jumpstart my life again.

And, as if that wasn’t enough, this week I suffered an unexpected shock. A beautiful young lady who I worked with for many years suddenly is gone from this earth. 48 years old is too young to be taken away from those of us who love her. Even though we haven’t worked together for a few years, we still remained in contact.

In my mind, I traveled back to a different time zone when things were different. There were different people in my life. I lived a totally different lifestyle and schedule. Then, I ended up taking a drive around town through places I hadn’t been to in a while. I noticed how much things had changed. Fields replaced forests. There were homes where none had been before. Buildings changed hands and faces.

I realized that change is as inevitable as time passing. You can’t stop either one. All you can do is live in the moment and appreciate what you have while you have it. Because, at some point, unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, everything changes and you will wish for things you took for granted.