Although I gave up New Year’s resolutions ages ago, I have made a winter resolution for this year.
I’ve got a terrible track record with resolutions, and thus why the New Year’s ones were deemed a fruitless exercise. But I am hoping I can make some progress on this. For my own sanity as well as for my family.
My resolution is this: Find a way to enjoy winter.
I just don’t like winter. My husband finds this “cute” since I am the Canadian and he is the Australian. But it gets downright depressing to avoid leaving the house for months at a time. And after spending last winter in Australia, this year’s oncoming cold is really bringing me down. Down, I tell ya!
Hubby, on the other hand, welcomes the snow. Every year since immigrating here some 13 years ago, he continues to add activities to his winter pleasure. These include snow-boarding, snow-shoeing, cross-country skiing, skating on the canal and ice-climbing.
And what do I do in the winter? Oh, drink more red wine, read more books and gain more weight. Clearly, his choices are the better option.
In addition to the health benefits, there are serious family benefits. He and Stella have tons of tales from their special times cross-country skiing together.
When she was very small, he built a contraption to pull behind him that protected her from the wind and cold. To keep her interest, he told her that they would stop to look for fairies. So on their stops, they would explore a “magical” piece of the forest hoping to catch a glimpse of the snow fairies.
Now that she is older, she is kitted out with all the gear and skis on her own. Apparently she has great indurance and gets a major kick out of going fast down the hills. They no longer search for fairies, but they stop at a particular shack and enjoy hot chocolate and marshmellows.
The family has now expanded and I’d love for this to become a family affair. But that means I’ve got to get my butt out in the cold. Ugh.
Hubby assures me it’s all in wearing the right gear. So here are the steps I’m taking to help me meet this winter resolution.
#1: Buy proper hat, gloves, jacket and pants.
#2: Buy cross-country skis and snow-shoes.
The next step is this:
#3: Go on winter hike in the Adirondack mountain range.
Hubby heads to the Adirondacks frequently with a great group of outdoorsy folk. It’s a short drive and makes for a great weekend escape. Next time, he’s going to take me and “go easy” on me with a gentle hike. Apparently it will take about two hours up, and two hours down.
Even though I’ve agreed to it — and even set a date — I’m not at all looking forward to it. To ensure that I will follow-through, I’ve added some peer pressure to the mix — my girlfriend K is going to come along too! Unlike when hubby goes with his friends and they sleep outdoors in lean-to’s (can you believe people actually do that voluntarily?!), we will stay in a nice hotel in Lake Placid after our hike. And eat a beautiful meal.
So, there it is my friends. My public resolution.
Now, you must tell me … what are your tricks for surviving enjoying winter?
P.S. If you don’t have an outdoorsy-MacGyver-type living in your home, but you’d like to get more adventurous in winter, join an Alpine Club. There is an Ottawa chapter and an Outaouais chapter and I spoke to members from both chapters in researching an article on ice-climbing for ADVENTURA magazine. All of the people I spoke to were so nice and friendly and the clubs themselves are cheap to join and offer a great way to learn some new skills.
Note from Julie on November 15, 2015: Hey, are you curious to see how this whole Winter Resolution thing has been working out? Check out this post for an update: “What I’ve Learned from Saying “Yes” to Winter.”
Speak Your Mind