Summer, where are you?

By Caitlin, the cold Rope Contributor

There has been a lot of focus on the cold weather lately. To be honest, I don’t really know that much about why it has been so cold. I saw something on The Weather Channel about a cold front and that’s about all I remember. What I do know is that people in the North have so much snow they’re jumping off their roofs and landing in it unharmed. I know that places like Tennessee have so much ice that people aren’t able to leave their house. And I know that the ice storm missed most places in Alabama, but I still had to walk to my car today in 15-degree weather.

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I don’t really like the cold. Bring on 100 degrees any day. I did actually enjoy Snowmageddon last yearbecause I was in Auburn, not Birmingham. While my family was stuck at school — or on the interstate in my mom’s case — I was lazily walking around my apartment complex with my friends throwing snowballs and trying to decide the best way to get to Samford lawn to take pictures.

While I enjoyed it, I don’t necessarily want to experience it again. I would be totally fine with cold weather starting right before Thanksgiving and ending right after New Years with a few days of snow during that time span.

What I do love is summer. When I mentioned 100 degrees earlier, that wasn’t an exaggeration. I was meant for days that start in the 90s and only get hotter. I would rather be outside playing soccer in 98 degrees with 90 percent humidity than have to walk to my car when it is below freezing. I played 3 v. 3 soccer in the summer my whole life — which is hot and exhausting and you basically feel like you’re going to die after your third game in a row — so the heat doesn’t bother me.

My best friend told me something about myself the other day that I had never been told before.

She said that I am one of the best people to be around during the spring, summer and fall, and one of the worst people to be around during the winter.

Not gonna lie — it kind of hurt my feelings. That is, until I really started to think about it. In case you didn’t catch it earlier, I like the warm weather better than the cold, which apparently affects my personality.

I had never thought about it before, but during the three warmer seasons I tend to be happier, more easy going, more ready to do something out of the ordinary or on a whim. Late night ice cream runs or unplanned road trips are my specialty. When it is cold you are lucky to get me outside for more than five minutes. I complain a little —or a lot — more and am less enthused about going to get ice cream at 10 p.m.

It shouldn’t be that way though. I let the temperature influence my mood, my activities, even the relationships I have (since no one wants to hang out with someone who complains 80 percent of the time).

Jokingly, this same friend said something along the lines of, “God made the winter just like he made the summer. Maybe try enjoying them both.”

I don’t think I will ever enjoy winter like I enjoy summer, but what I can do is appreciate the beauty that comes along with the cold. There is something special about walking outside on a sunny winter day where it might be 40 degrees, but the sun is shining bright so  you can feel the cold air and the warm sun all at once.

God gave me the privilege of experience both summer and winter. Not everyone in the world has that privilege. So instead of complaining and counting down the days before I can walk outside without a jacket, I am going to do my best to enjoy the moment that I am in now … even if it is 15 degrees.

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