My Favorite Season

Whenever we have these weather topics on The Novel Girls, I’m always the odd one out! Yes, living in Arizona I have a weird backwards concept of winter and summer. I know this for sure because somewhere, way back in the deep part of my mind, I remember what real winters are like; I remember those bone-chillingly cold and icy walks around campus in college, where I was bundled up so tightly in my thick parka that you could barely see my eyes. I remember these things. But only faintly. Because now I love winters. I live for winters. On June days when it’s 110 degrees and we’re stuck inside the house, I fantasize about beautiful December days when we get to run around the park and take walks outside. These are my winter activities: outdoor things. Parks. Zoos. Power walks.

Lately, though, we’ve had a lot of rain, and even some colder weather (Ok, I know 40 isn’t cold to most of the rest of the world, but to me, it feels cold). It puts a damper on my outside exercise and my kids’ time at the park. And this makes me mad. I don’t live through the hideously hot summers for temperatures that barely hit the 50s, and rainy days.

But I can’t complain too much, as most days in the winter we still get our choice of outside activities, and not the kind where you have to wear a heavy coat and ski boots either. The kind where you wear short sleeves and maybe a sweatshirt – the kind where you bask in the beautiful sunny afternoon and marvel at how gorgeous the winter is in the desert. And then we get to call our friends and relatives on the east coast and brag about said activities. (Of course, they get us back in July!)

Aside from the weather, these past two winters I’ve had books come out, which means my activities have been nearly all book/promotion related. The launch of a book feels like a season in itself, one filled with excitement and joy and, sometimes, anxiety. But lucky for me, I can, whenever I need to re-charge, go and take a nice relaxing walk in the sunshine. And that’s a winter activity I wouldn’t trade for the world!