Opinion
Uncovering bright side to winter cold
February 28, 2014
We all know, or most of us know, that winter is a miserable season. The cold hurts our faces, the ice is plentiful and too slippery to walk on, it gets dark before dinner and driving can be nearly impossible.
The worst part about it is that here in Wisconsin and Minnesota, it seems to go on forever. It comes around Thanksgiving and sticks around well into April. From year to year, those months just crawl by as we wait for the snow to melt and the thermometer to shoot up into warmer temperatures.
But maybe we can take a step back for a moment. When we look at the benefits of the frigid season, we may find that it is not as miserable as we make it out to be. Don’t get me wrong, it is still miserable enough.
One of the main benefits of the frigid winter months is that there are no bugs. Of course, during the summer, I can handle being bothered by bugs if it means warmer weather. However, it is still refreshing to not see the occasional boxelder hanging out on my bedroom wall, or a whole colony of mosquito bites up and down my leg.
Instead of swatting away bugs on my way to class, I am swatting away snowflakes, comparably harmless, until they accumulate on the ground. It turns out that bugs hate winter just as much as humans do, and it at least gives us something to look forward to as we slip on our boots.
Another benefit of winter is that shaving becomes much less of an obligation. Not having to shave takes up much less of our time and gives us more time to watch Spongebob. So what if your legs look like a bear? No one is going to see under your pants. I honestly hope you all wear pants in the winter.
Even guys can get away with no shaving for a few months. A scruffy beard is just the thing to shield your face from the painful winter winds. So, go on, put away that razor until April and turn on Spongebob. It is not like anyone else is shaving, so why should you?
Yet another benefit of the worst season is that there is little to no risk of sunburn. Who needs to apply layers of sunscreen when they can apply four different layers of clothing? The red, burning skin from last summer has since gone away and there is no dealing with it for a good long time! Hooray! Even on those winter days when the sun actually is beating down, we are free to go outside without the SPF 50. Who knew winter days could be so carefree? I know I did not. Too bad about frostbite, though.
I sincerely hope that this list helped you overcome the miserable winter blues. If it did not, I don’t blame you. It did not help me either. I just hope in the weeks that remain of the season, we can all lift our spirits and look at the bright side. Most importantly, it will end eventually. The bugs, razors and sunscreen will return to usher in spring and summer.
Cristin Dempsey is an English major and music minor from Eagan, Minn. She enjoys writing, playing the flute and swimming. After college she would like to pursue a career as an editor.