A wimpy winter, and no fans here ~ January 17, 2002

David Heiller

Ι walked out of the sauna Sunday night, a smile crossed my face. I was recalling our Christmas sauna, when my brother-in-law Randy, my nephew Collin, and I took a sauna.

It’s one I’ll remember for a while.

Randy asked Collin if he was going to roll in the snow. He said it with a tone of voice that raises a nine-year-οld’s dander. Α challenge.

Collin took the bait.

Collin ran out and did a quick roll onto the snow which lay thick on the ground. Then he ran back in as fast as a boy can move. He threw the challenge back at Dad, who followed his son, and Randy moved about as fast as a 37-year-old man can move.

Then it was my turn. I hadn’t done that since my own kids were little.

Malika and Cynthia, apres sauna.
We loved our saunas.

When I flopped in the snow, I remembered why. There is nothing quite as shocking as cold snow on a hot body. It felt as if needles pricked my whole body. I ran hollering back into the sauna. The stove glowed red, but I still almost climbed on top of it.

I was thankful to Randy and Collin for instigating the dip in the snow. As John Mellencamp would say, it hurt so good.

Which leads to my sermon for this week:

We’re getting wimpy.

Twice in the last week I heard people say how much they were enjoying this winter.

What winter? Other than that snowfall right before Christmas, we haven’t had a winter. No 20-below nights. No 20-inch blizzards.

A roll in the snow now would be hazardous to one’s health. There is no snow!

A friend of mine said the other day that he didn’t miss the snow and cold at all. He is an avid gardener, and this weather is just that much closer to nirvana, when he can start seeds and break ground.

One side of me wanted to agree. I look forward to that too. It has been an easy winter, and spring doesn’t seem so far off.

But the other side of me says no.

For one thing, we are missing some great activities. In my case, it is cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. It is a great feeling to strap on the snowshoes and tramp through the woods. Feel those muscles work. Shed a pound or two. Look at animal tracks, and see the woods from a higher perspective.

Skiing holds similar joys. Ι don’t snowmobile, but Ι know their sport is equally exhilarating.

Much as we joke about how long our winters last, it’s a relatively short time that we can romp in the snow, often just three months.

There are other benefits of a hardy winter. A blizzard is good for the soul. It’s good to hole up, good to hear the power of Mother Nature. Good curl up with a good woman! (The caveman comes out in winter.)

We slow down. Plan things out. Think things through. Read more books, play more music.

Many businesses suffer when there is a 12” of snow. With today’s economy, that winter commerce is critical to keeping afloat.

But just as important as all of this, the real benefit of a rip-snorting winter is how much it makes me appreciate spring.

Ι don’t need that, you say. Maybe not. But for me the joys of spring are somehow connected the severity of winter.

Mankind has walked on this earth for about 50,000 years. For 49,900 of them, we have been putting up with real winters. So I say our inner soul, Neanderthal or otherwise, needs a good winter.

But I don’t think I’m going to roll in the snow again for another 10 years or so.