The Inter-Season Blip
Seasons are on the move. And with them come a whole host of changes, many of which shock you like hail in the face and leave you wondering where that Indian summer just went to. Apparently back to India. But what are you left with? A short day, with a lot to accomplish it seems. Since when did life get so darn busy?
Not only are waking hours now moving at the speed of sound, those long blissful sleeping hours are too flying by. Mornings hit you like a truck, despite your newly required and easily accustomed to 9+ hours of sleep. Since when did sleeping like a baby become the norm? Saggy sleepy face and a worryingly large patch of drool mean you haven’t moved a muscle since you nodded off 9 hours ago. You dress for winter like the dark skies and thick frost on the windscreen are telling you to, despite being aware that come lunchtime you’re going to be sweating like a mad woman. Of course, before you can leave the house, you have to play the daily re-dial game to bag a spot in 6pm spin class. It seems like every man and their dog wants to secure their place on a sweaty stationary bike. But trying your best not to get mad at the phone you continue on, as you’ve got to do something to stop yourself hitting the couch at 5pm with a glass of red wine the size of your head.
Easier said than done. Whilst daylight hours and actual time is cut short, motivation also too seems to be waning across the board (blogging included). You’d think, with less evening options to pick from, things would finally get done. Or not. Instead, once you’ve put up the fight of your life to get into spin class and then pedaled yourself absolutely nowhere, your evening is swiftly devoured by new TV scheduling, or you drown yourself in a book. Reading is something you haven’t done all summer, aside from magazines – and whilst you thought it was something you were desperate to revel in, you’re almost annoyed by the small print and lack of pictures. And since when did you read so freaking slow? Perhaps it’s time to add adult education to your ever growing list of things to do.
Meanwhile your obsessive compulsive checks of the Weather Network for sunshine have changed to staring down the long-term forecast for any sign of snow. 90% POP now brings a smile rather than tears over no Monday night golf for the third week in a row. And when you spy a flake promised to arrive a week on Friday, you immediately check the latest deal on Steep & Cheap. Before you know it you have new skis, boots and jacket in the mail.
So it seems winter has a hold over you, but is it really here? The early signs of snow are now diminishing and you’re confusedly getting back on your bike, pondering whether you should have instead bought new biking gloves. It seems to still be fall. Perhaps this inter-season confusion is why you’re so busy. You have winter commitments and activities kicking in, while you’re still mentally and physically recovering from Halloween and Oktoberfest and a long list of fall ‘to-do’s’. I used to strongly believe in the saying, “if you want something done, ask a busy person”. Now I think you should be kind to your fellow drowning compadres and ask the friend who is always declaring “I’ve just finished another great book”. That’s the friend who needs to stop being so darn educated and join you in your illiterate mass hysteria.
Regardless of how busy you are, I do however suggest adding one more thing to your list. The act of praying. Even if you’ve never prayed in your lives, start now. Pray for the Halloween candy to magically disappear out of your house and away from temptation. Pray for twice as many spin classes at the gym. Pray for a garage to pop up in your yard, so you don’t have to scrape your car every morning. Pray for Michael & Kevin to win The Amazing Race. But most of all, pray for winter to begin for real, so we can clear up this energy-sapping inter-season. I don’t know about you, but back in my youthful and naive twenties, I thought that old “burning the candle at both ends” analogy was a cop-out, along with the need for sleep. These days I think my candle is on fire.