Snow arrived two months late here in Cleveland. We missed out on a white Christmas and instead of snuggling by the fireplace with hot cocoas in hand, we took the kids to the playground and watched them frolic in 50-degree weather. What a difference from last year!
A winter without snow? No way. Not in Cleveland.
Three days ago, the entirety of northeast Ohio got blanketed. A blustery windchill made it feel 20 degrees colder outside. Brrrr... it was C-O-L-D.
Yesterday after work, I walked a half mile in the snow with three bags in hand. On one shoulder was my purse, weighing about as much as a small child. Hanging from the other shoulder was my laptop bag. And lastly a shopping bag filled with items like my lunch sack, water bottle, ballet flats, headphones and a copy of Anna Quindlen's Living Out Loud rounded out my hobo look.
I trudged through that crunchy snow, the wind whipping at my face so hard I could barely keep my eyes open and told Mother Nature, "Bring it!" I felt so alive, placing one heavy boot in front of the other and with each step feeling my calves and thighs getting stronger. I don't know, maybe surviving last year's Polar Vortex has given me a new fierceness.
You can't call me a wimpy California girl anymore. Because in Cleveland, you've got to be tough!
Beware of the winter blues.
