I Still Need to Get Out More

Dearest Rachel –

I hear the occasional comment about how unusual our weather is this winter, but I can’t say that I’ve seen any real evidence of it. For instance, I’ve heard that last month has the least amount of sunlight for January since we’ve been keeping track of that; I have no idea how far back that goes. And meanwhile, Lars has been particularly scrupulous about timing our walks through Harms Woods such that we’ve been getting mostly sunlight on those occasions, so the lack of it really hasn’t been a part of my experience.

Speaking of which, the one we took this past week was one of the first of which where we found ourselves walking through any considerable amount of snow. Most of the other times we’ve been out, the ground has been just barely dusted, and the path has been either outright muddy or frozen over. I admit that I prefer the latter; my hiking boots are supposed to give me a decent amount of traction, so that walking on ice isn’t so treacherous, while they’re new enough that the sensation of them sinking into one mud puddle or another is decidedly unpleasant.

We’ve also had what I consider to be the usual amount of cold weather thus far this winter, although I can’t say whether we’ve ever gotten below 0° F. Celsius, sure; you can’t have snow or ice (which are requisite elements of winter here, as you well know) without it being like that, but Fahrenheit? It’s hard to say. It’s not like there’s anything that happens when you hit that temperature that you can point to. And while I know there were several days where it got into the single digits, I’m not sure it actually managed to cross that particular psychological threshold.

All in all, it’s been a fairly mild winter, although not so much that I’d be willing to consider sending Greta Thunberg some flowers. For one thing, calling this winter ‘mild’ may be only a matter of perception; the piles of snow alongside the driveway don’t seem deep enough to dwarf Chompers like they did in the month or so after you left, but it’s not as if I have to go out in that slop two, three, fifteen times a night like I did back then.

For another, she’d probably rail about how this antiquated custom of sending flowers as a token of esteem is just one more thing that’s ruining the planet. As much as I’m convinced that the girl absolutely needs a boyfriend (really, much more than that, if we’re being honest), I’m not lonely –or crazy – enough to fall on that grenade.

Besides, it’s not as if it hasn’t had its threatening moments this winter. The monthly get-together at the local megachurch was canceled last month, and while I’m not anywhere close enough to the inner circle to know definitively that the weather had a hand in it, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to discover that it was a factor in that decision. And for at least the second time (possibly the third, if you count the Christmas weekend itself), it seems that Ellen has been precluded from heading downstate to visit her mother for the holidays with her sisters.

All of which is prologue to the premise of this letter. What, did you think I was writing you just to talk about the weather? Sure, it’s a topic for when there’s nothing else to discuss, but it’s actually played a part in my attempts to socialize – which, for all that it’s difficult for me to do so (life was so much easier when you did the heavy lifting in that department, and I just followed along in your wake), is something I recognize I need to do. I still need to get out more often, even if the weather has its forbidding moments.

But those moments don’t always just challenge my resolve. Sometimes, as with the monthly social at Willow Creek, the things I would otherwise go out to simply aren’t available for me. It’s not as if I have a say in it. But it’s one more inducement to stay home, wrap myself in a blanket with a warm, soothing beverage, and spend the evening in bed.

That’s not the way to spend a weekend, unless I want all my weekends to be like that, from now until forever.

Ironically enough, the other weather-related cancellation may actually prove to be a rescue from taking such an easy path to perpetual loneliness. What with Ellen’s plans to head downstate being scratched yet again, she’s available to hang out with at some point – assuming the rest of us can agree on a time and place for all of us to get together. It’s not going to be more than just us friends, but it’s a far sight better than staying home alone. Besides, I can do that any time; how often can we be together for one thing or another – and how many more times will we get to do that, going forward? It’s why Ellen keeps trying to get back downstate, after all, but since that’s not an option that’s available to her at the moment, we’re all here (for now) as an alternative to her as well. Best to enjoy each other’s company while we still can.

And with that in mind, keep an eye on all of us, honey, and wish us luck. We’re going to need it.