Hibernation is for Bears

This winter has felt so brutal and never-ending that we have just wanted to curl up and sleep these months away. Although we winter-weary New Yorkers are preparing to endure another snow storm tomorrow, as the calendar turns to March, I’m finally beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. My coworkers and I are so over commuting in rain, sleet, snow, or just freezing temperatures that the dry erase board that we typically use for inspirational quotes has been temporarily converted to display a days ‘til spring countdown. Nineteen days and counting! So with a glimmer of hope that warmer days are on their way, this blog can come out of hibernation.  

Winter in NYC isn’t all bad; in fact it’s some New Yorkers’ favorite season. All the activities associated with the holidays like visiting the Rockefeller Center tree, holiday markets, and the department store window displays come to mind. After the holidays come to an end and the ball drops in Times Square, there’s still plenty to do like ice skating, walks through parts of the City that would otherwise be flooded with tourists at any other time of year, or a long weekend escape to the mountains.     

We spent last weekend in a cabin in the Catskills with about twelve friends from our church life group.  (Once we got close to the cabin, we realized it was very close to the Bed & Breakfast Jen and I stayed in for our one-year anniversary.) It was everything you would want a mountain cabin to be: warm and rustic, equipped with a fireplace, and with very picturesque views of the woods and mountains. It was a bit outdated (the bathroom was carpeted and looked like it was straight out of Anchor Man) but it was all part of the charm.  The trip was a lot of fun and the perfect winter escape from the City. Don’t get me wrong, it was cold, but comfortable enough for long walks on the mountain roads and sledding down the steep hill in the back.  We didn’t do much other than relax and enjoy nature (I’m not complaining) except play a few rousing rounds of Magic Unicorn-a Charades-type game that includes one round of acting out under a blanket.  Pup also had a great time being outdoors and getting so much attention. She was so loved by everyone that she became somewhat of a weekend mascot. Note the group picture of Pup being lifted up in exaltation which was later titled “Pup as Simba.” Don’t worry, I was holding her safely and she actually seemed quite at ease, as if thinking “they finally get it.”

I’m looking forward to warmer weather so much that I have a quickly growing list on my phone titled Things I Want to Do in Spring. I will soon be able to sit outside comfortably, begin running in Prospect Park again, and just do more things in general. You can’t make your dreams come true if you don’t get out of bed first, right?