Dear Winter,
I am worried about you. I’m afraid that Canadians, (especially Baby Boomers) are just not liking you anymore ~ it’s sad and I’m very concerned. I fret that with all this “winter hate,” maybe you’re gonna decide that you’ve just had enough of all the abuse and might decide to leave us forever. That just wouldn’t do.
We need you. I definitely NEED you! We need you way more than you realize and I want to remind you. I have a substantial list of reasons why WINTER is so important:
- You would never have seen that beautiful high pressure night with the “Super Moon” shining down upon us throughout the very early hours. Nor, would you experience that tremendous sunshine streaming through the windows – the sun without the drought, the sun without the worry of wells drying up, the snow feeding all the deciduous trees ~ because precicipation is where it should be.
- You would not appreciate the other four seasons nearly as much because, well ~ they’d all be the same with a little summer blip – leaves might just stay green, lawns would grow – perennials would likely move farther north. I know hostas might…they love the little winter break.
- Humans in Canada need a break from all the bustling and rushing ~ not that winter is going to slow them down through the week, but it might help on the weekends. Bears hibernate, Canadians need to love this little bit of down time. Lakes are frozen, nights are dark, cold air is kept at bay with our indoor heating and some people even have the delight of a fireplace! If you could put your phones down you might even have a conversation! How cool is that.
- Winter can inspire you with an opportunity to do the things you long to do like reading, and writing, sewing and creating art. Farley Mowat swore that winter was his most creative time.
- You need to curb your antipathy towards winter because most of your kids are still living and working in Canada – and yes, they are having to go to work in the winter and; most of you must know what that is like! It can be very tough. Our multicultural groups and people who have moved here from much warmer climates deserve a medal for making it through winter. But, they certainly don’t need to be bombarded (none of us do!) by advertisements about expensive sunny holidays.
- And need I mention those fantastic sunny ski days that are so invigorating they leave you inspired and revitalized…or maybe just a walk in the woods, or on a downtown street…. if that works for you.
- This antipathy of the dreaded season is not healthy. I notice many of you are trying to make the most of it but seem to be bombarded on all fronts with photos of beaches ~ beaches? really? How long can anyone really hang out on a beach? An hour? (A week! LOL)
- I mourn the slow loss of winter. You are killing winter because it no longer fits your style ~ but, with building climate change, melting polar caps and the hate towards winter that seems quite prevalent ~ you better be careful what you wish for.
Yours truly,
Pete the Polar Bear and Shayla the Seal
Kathryn Kastner 