Bidding Adieu to Winter

Different seasons mean different things to different people. I am someone who loves the cold. Living in a tropical country, the summers can be mercilessly hot and draining. The sweat, the grime, get to me. Winters, on the other hand, invigorate me.  It may be freezing; it may be bitterly cold, but I love the idea of wearing layers and stepping outdoors.

I recently read an article by Seema Goswami where she wrote about what she loves about the winter season. Taking a cue from her, I, too, put on my thinking cap to think about what is lt that I like about winters and miss when spring starts knocking at the door.

Being a winter person, I love the foggy winter mornings when the sun has gone into hiding, the wind is blowing, and visibility is not the best. I love bundling myself up in my thick long, down jacket/woollen coat with my scarf and gloves on and then I like to get behind the wheel and go driving. There were times when I used to do a lot of that. That was the time when I drove to work. I would enjoy the feeling of being all by myself in the car with my favourite music on. Due to fog, the visibility would be poor, and the feeling was of being enveloped in a cocoon with nobody around me. Though I don’t drive as often now, I do like to step down and go for a walk all by myself.

Though I love the fog and the mist, I also love the sun. A habit that I picked up in the last two years when I was working from home was walking in the sun in the middle of the day. Since I had classes in the morning, I would step down and walk in the sun once I was done with them. That warm, toasty feeling you get when the sun is bright and warm is unparalleled. Listening to my current read or my favourite music, I loved the walk, and then I would round it up by sitting in the sun for a while before heading back. I will miss this now that it has become warmer, and I am back to offline working.

A childhood memory of sitting in the lawn with my feet facing the sun (Vitamin D calling) with chikki and peanuts or oranges as the mood demanded. The joy of shelling peanuts by the dozens, popping them in the mouth and quickly taking a bite of the chikki to ensure that the two tastes mingled with each other. My sister could never understand why both had to get into the mouth at the same time. Well, well, well…

And this would be followed by a basketful of oranges peeled and segmented and again popped into the mouth. I still like to do all of this but now in my balcony… the joys of a highrise.

Another thing that I absolutely love is getting into my duvet at the end of a long day but much before bedtime curled up with a book and a cup of steaming hot tea/ coffee as the mood demands. That feeling of stretching myself in the duvet, which used to be the good old razai,  in the days gone by while turning the pages of the book is a joy to be experienced. And mind you, this is not be done when it is close to bedtime; this experience is to be had much before that.

And the biggest joy of the winter season. The cold weather gives you the reason to savour endless cups of tea and coffee no matter what. You don’t need any excuse for that. The reason is that it is freezing and I need a warm drink.

So yes, these are the joys that I miss when the weather becomes warmer but then what the heck….my favourite season will be back in a few months.

So till we meet again!!