Covered in White

I should be out with this crew right now!

We feel cold, but we don’t mind it, because we will not come to harm. And if we wrapped up against the cold, we wouldn’t feel other things, like the bright tingle of the stars, or the music of the Aurora, or best of all the silky feeling of moonlight on our skin. It’s worth being cold for that. 

~Philip Pullman, Northern Lights

I sit hear, on this first of February morning, nursing a slight hangover, and gazing out the window into a world of white.  I should be going through the process of layering synthetics and wool.  I should be riding towards downtown for more bike shenanigans with friends.  I should have gotten a fatbike last year so I could safely navigate multiple fresh inches of snow.  Instead, I find myself wallowing in good coffee and books.  Not all that bad, but not exactly what I wanted either.

Yesterday, at a bike gathering, a cycling friend told me he had been shocked to find out I didn't really like winter (he had read this in one of my older posts)--especially since I plan weekly winter rides.  Yesterday, while the temps were hovering around freezing, and we were able to ride with abandon, it was a bit easier to say "I didn't mind winter".  My reasons prior to today for not liking the burrowing months were the hassle of getting ready, the nagging soreness in the neck from shrugging against the cold and the lack of green.  Today, I could care less about all of that and I just really miss seeing my friends while riding.  In fact, as I sit here I realize that "off" feeling in my stomach really has nothing to do with what I drank last night, instead it is there because I'll have to go an entire week without seeing these fantastic folks.

It's funny how something so simple as good company can change your outlook entirely on weather.  You could say "misery loves company" but I'll be a bit more optimistic and use the Japanese proverb "one kind word can warm three winter months".  Thank you Sunday riding crew for not only getting me to enjoy the winter but making me pine for our weekly spins.

All dressed up and nowhere to go
photo by John D