Snow Looking Back

A few days ago it was 60 degrees here, and I thought: you know what? Maybe this winter won’t be so bad! Sure, it’s a little grayer out. Sure the days are shorter. Sure, this weather is an anomaly rather than the norm. But, hey, I’m NOT going to give up my time outside! When it gets a bit colder, I’m just going to bundle up and deal with it!

Then, a couple days later, it got a lot colder. And it snowed. And all hope was lost.

Okay, not really, but still. It was a bit of a wake up call, and it made clear a few things:

1. A snowy winter moves things inside. Those nights sitting out on the deck or hanging out in the park? They’re behind us now. Moreover, even that little contactless pick-up table outside the coffee shop? You know, the one on the sidewalk that they’d set your drink out on after you ordered online? Stuff like that might be moving inside too.

2. A snowy winter is sweatier. When it gets colder and wetter, it’s natural to add layers. And yet, these layers, plus the extra effort it takes to move with them on–which is to say nothing about the exertion of clearing or just maneuvering through snow–means that when you get inside and peel them off, you find they’re damp with perspiration.

3. A snowy winter makes everything narrower. The biking/walking/running trail nearby is nice and wide and paved. But still, over the past few months I’ve gotten used to veering off into the grass to give a bit of extra distance whenever I see someone coming the other way. Thankfully, the trail is plowed in the winter. But the grassy shoulder? It’s now covered with a coating of snow that’ll only get taller and harder as the winter progresses.

And so if you’re going into places, you’re going to want a mask. And if you’re sweating all over your good, reusable mask, you’re going to want some backups for when it’s laundry time. And if you’re out for a cold stroll, you’re going to want a mask in your coat pocket or your bag just in case a bunch of other people had the same idea.

In other words: maybe buy some backup masks.