It Has Taken Me Almost 45 Years To Embrace All 4 Seasons. I'm There.

We had our first accumulating snow of the season on the overnight. About 6 inches of snow fell before it changed over to sleet and freezing rain. Before I tucked Lisa and the kids into bed, we stood on the front porch admiring the snow. A few hours later, after falling asleep on the sofa while working on some blog columns, I woke up because the sound of the freezing rain hitting the house and windows in combination with the wind was loud.

Really. Really. Loud.

There I was. Standing on the front porch. In the wee hours of the morning. Being pelted by tiny beads of freezing rain. Listening to the rumble of the wind. Keeping my fingers crossed that we wouldn't lose power.

I thought about all of my New Hampshire peeps who had been pounded by snow already. Some as early as the last week of October. During all of those storms, we only got rain here in Connecticut.

Not this time.

I sat on one of our porch chairs. I immediately thought of Maude's advice 20 years ago that included, "If you sit on cold surfaces, you'll get hemorrhoids."

Then, I thought about October of 2011. Just a few days before Halloween. The day I moved to Connecticut.

Snowtober. 

Storm Alfred

We packed up the truck, tarps and all, and drove from New Hampshire to Connecticut.

In New Hampshire, it was all rain.

I was dressed in a skirt, short sleeved shirt, and my trusty Crocs Flip Flops.

Lisa demanded that we stop at the Tanger Outlets in Tilton, New Hampshire so I could purchase proper footwear. I caved.

I'm glad I did. 

At some point in Massachusetts, we hit sleet and freezing rain. Then snow. We had to stop several times to tighten the tarps and bungee cords because of the wind. I changed into my new winter shoes.

By the time we arrived in Connecticut, it was a winter wonderland.

Since then, our winters have been rather mild.

Until this year.

But, as I sat on the front porch amid the sleet and freezing rain and wind, I wasn't bothered.

As I've gotten older, I've grown to appreciate and adapt to all seasons.

I've learned that dreading a particular season does no good.

Seasons are going to happen whether you like it or not.

I used to love the Summer season.

But now, not so much.

I used to hate the winter season.

But now, not so much.

There are things about each season that I embrace.

There are things about each season that I do not embrace.

Our kids are the same way. Sophie and Lobo love the warm weather months. The cold weather months, not so much. Coco loves the winter season the best. Willa, she loves all seasons as long as she has her fetch balls in the yard.

But, like it or not, when you live in New England, you're going to be hit with all four seasons.

Getting to that point where you embrace all of them, despite the good and bad, takes years of effort.

For me, it took almost 45 years.

I'm there.