If you’ve read even just one of my post on this blog, then you know that I am not one for toxic positivity, sugarcoating the truth, or blowing smoke up anyone’s ass — Just ask my kids! And while I do look for silver linings, I am still a realist and I call it like I see it.
So now that we’ve officially entered winter (despite what the calendar says, the six inches of snow outside says otherwise), it’s time to start my seasonal kvetching because after all, ’tis the season, as they say!
Simply put, I do not like the winter, which is ironic because I was born in February. But apart from that and the holidays, I’m not a fan. I am always cold, I feel heavy and stiff in bulky coats, wool hats flatten my hair and make it static-y, and I don’t even enjoy winter sports (I’m not a skiier, snowboarding is way too intense for me, and I lack the balance and grace for figure skating … although I do enjoy the occasional outdoor ice skating excursion if the conditions are just right — Read: sunny, chilly but not cold, and definitely not crowded). My aversion to this season has only gotten worse as I’ve aged, in large part because of the onset of Raynaud’s Syndrome.
I used to think I just had poor blood circulation. My hands and toes were always. And after I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease, I wrote it off as just another side effect (hypothyroidism slows down metabolism and lowers body temperature, among many other things). But over the years, my intolerance to cold has became painful and even wearing three pairs of thick socks and multiple layers doesn’t help. Then, almost two years ago, I learned that I had developed secondary Raynaud’s.
I won’t go into all the details here because I recently wrote an entire article for AutoimmuneSisters.org that you can read by clicking on the link embedded in this sentence or by reading the attached article below, but suffice it to say, I’m not made for winter.
The bottom line for me is this: Winter sucks. And since I’ll be hibernating at home until spring under multiple blankets with my leg warmers and fingerless gloves on so I can still type, I guess no one other than my family has to hear me complain.
See? … I told you I always find the silver lining.
-LJDT
