dianaschnuth

Today’s Google Doodle reminded me that today is the first official day of Fall.

It’s felt kind of Fall-ish for a couple of weeks now. The leaves are just starting to turn, and the weather is mostly temperate, with a few chilly days and a few warm days thrown in because it’s the Midwest.

Fall is always a bittersweet time for me. The weather is beautiful, and so are the colors… but Winter is just around the corner.

I hate Winter.

Being outside when it’s so cold is physically painful — or, at the very least, uncomfortable. The daylight hours are so, so short. (I couldn’t deal with living in the upper latitudes, where winter daylight is only a few hours long, if that.) Driving becomes an exercise in Getting There Alive; turn lanes are treacherous, the highway is wet and slick, and drivers are either foolhardy or overcautious. The snow is pretty enough for Christmas and New Year’s, but then it sticks around until well after Valentine’s Day and turns into a gray, slushy eyesore.

I guess what I’m getting at is that maybe, just maybe, I could learn to really enjoy Autumn if I can live in the moment.

Autumn is beautiful. I have nothing against Autumn. I love Autumn.

But Winter, you bitch… you can suck it.