Thursday 12 July 2012

Morning


Image by Anna Inghardt

I am not much of a morning person. Nor am I a fan of winter. Combine the bleak morning chill with darkness before dawn breaks and I am at my least creative, least constructive and least friendly.

I returned from living in the tropics in 1996 and I have quite uncomfortably grappled with the winter months every single year since. I try to deny the fact that winter is approaching once the heat of summer says goodbye, and when the chill does hit I pretend to ignore it. If I don’t acknowledge it, it doesn’t exist. Except the constant pain in my neck from a childhood head-on-collision injury and the ache in my bones are fierce, stark reminders that winter in fact is upon us.

I don’t much like winter. Dry skin craving moisture, garden craving sunshine, bikini craving beach visit; everything around me tells me the cold is here. I rug up to keep warm and get too hot. I dress down to cool down and get too cold. I have a scarf permanently attached to my neck to humour the old neck injury. I cover my ankles to keep the chill away and then smile at the mockery of the pink ugg boots adorning my feet. How did I become so dorky? Winter is how. My pink fluffy dressing gown keeps me company at dawn, so what of it? My bikini is laughing at me from the spot I left it hanging over my shower screen some months ago. I gaze at it some mornings, like a lovesick lover pining for what once was. I know my bikini will come to life again soon. Any day now.

I don’t like to count the days away, God knows time flies by way too fast. But secretly, oh so quietly, I do count the days until spring. After I down my second cup of coffee for the morning I peer outside and smile when I see the sun smiling back. Still grateful for the small things such as a winter that barely reaches below zero degrees, a winter that in some countries can be classed as a mild summer. But when it hits 40 degrees and I am perched on the sand in my long lost bikini I won’t be thinking of this brisk winter morning. I will humbly count my blessings that I live in a country with such a beautiful summer and that I was born a summer child. And very quietly, oh so begrudgingly, I will be dreading the fact that in the back of my mind I know, as sure as the sun is shining, that winter will be back again someday soon.

3 comments:

  1. Oh - I can so identify!!
    I'm a Summer person all the way.

    I try not to, but I also subconsciously mark off the days that I have to endure this cold discomfort.
    Each morning as I'm freezing and rugged up on my walk, I think I'm one morning closer to warmth!
    :-) xx

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  2. Yep, this is me Peggy. You have described my feelings so beautifully here. Winter just doesn't feel right. Things don't grow, thrive, enjoy. I also try to pretend it's not upon us, but July and August are always tough... mainly because we all seem to get sick in those months too. I'll keep counting down those days silently with you. Roll on Summer xo

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  3. Oooh, i love the dorkiness (new word?) of winter...and much prefer it to summer but have realised recently that the extremes of both make me crankiest. I guess i should be thankful melbourne is so mild compared to other places.

    A few years ago my mum decided she was sick of moaning about the cold of winter and now actively embraces it. She maintains that the slight change in perspective was enough to make it so much more enjoyable.

    I hope the remaining winter days pass by speedily!

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