The first day of winter is Tuesday, a fact about which I have heard more than one complaint. Many deplore the end of the beauty of autumn and the arrival of the chill of winter; however, I say that what is about to begin is the most wonderful season in ours, the most scenic of states.
Some say that spring is our best season, with winter’s icy grasp finally broken and new life springing up from the ground. I say that spring is a dreary season, full of mud and bugs.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Justin Simon is a resident of Portland.
Some say that summer is our best season, perfect for swimming, hiking, boating and fishing. I say that summer is a season of heat-induced lethargy and crowds, and that it has a distinct talent for inflicting at least one unpleasant burn before it comes to an end.
Some say that autumn is our best season, with a crispness in the air and the beauty of multicolored leaves on all the trees. I say that autumn is a season in which we must watch the beautiful green leaves of our trees be pumped full of toxins, discolor, wither and finally die.
But winter – winter has a simple and beautiful perfection to it. In winter, the moment you step out your front door in the morning, the air will whisk away any remnants of sleep, leaving you alert and ready to face whatever this new day might hold.
As you shovel the snow that fell overnight out of your driveway and off your sidewalk, you get not only some of the exercise that all too many of us are lacking in our daily lives, but also a quiet moment to think your thoughts or contemplate the beauty of winter.
As you come in out of the cold, what could be better than a cup of hot tea or coffee? Or hey – why not a cup of hot cocoa? Surely you have earned one cup after all that shoveling.
As you get ready to go to work or to school, you can look forward to the fact that no matter what else your day might hold, at least you will probably get to spend most of it in a warm building.
Once you arrive, a quick dash through the cold to the entrance should leave you just that little bit more alert and ready to get down to work. If you are lucky you may get to sit somewhere or walk through somewhere that allows you to regularly steal glances out a window and see the majesty of a city wreathed in snow and ice.
As lunch arrives you walk through that same door you entered through hours ago and are back out in the chill embrace of winter.
Maybe you want to pick something up for lunch or maybe you just want to take this opportunity to stretch your legs. Either way, by the time you get back inside, the winter wind will have snatched that midday lethargy right away from you, leaving you alert and ready to face the second half of your day with your eyes wide open.
Finally school is over or your work is done and you can head home. One final dash through the cold, refreshing air and, at last, you’re back in your house. A quick peek out the window: Has it snowed enough that you should shovel tonight? No – best wait till morning.
While making dinner, as you wait for your water to come to a boil or your oven to heat, you can look out the window and see that the hoarfrost has given the trees a new coat of leaves, snow white or sparkling in crystalline glory. As you eat, you can see the many colored lights sparkling off the ice and snow.
Finally, dinner is done and the dishes are clean. Your work for the day is at an end and you can relax. As you read your book or chat with those near and dear to you, snow falls outside your window and you can see the crystalline patterns that the frost makes as it climbs your window. At long last you can close your eyes and drift off to sleep with the gentle sound of snow falling on the rooftops.
Better than the mud and bugs of spring, better than the lethargy of summer, even better than the death watch of fall, winter is the best of all the seasons here.
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