How I See It, Volume 1,number 10, October 1999 How I See It As the temperature drops and the days grow shorter, friends ask, "Are you ready for winter?" They are not asking if I have enough long underwear and socks, wood, water, or berries, or if I’ve put on my winter tires and caulked the cracks in my windows and doors. No, what they are asking is if I am psychologically prepared. Do I think I am going to be able to make it through another long, cold, dark winter? We look at each other with mutual anxiety. Then there are those for whom winter is what living here is all about. Their faces are bright with the anticipation of skiing, running their dogs, and winter camping. I, too, think that all sounds wonderful. I just don’t want to do it. Others are talking of their upcoming trips Outside and I must admit that sometimes when I’m in my little car, the ever-present temptation to keep driving south almost takes over. But my dogs like the change in the air. They whisper in my ear their winter fantasies of chasing ptarmigan through the woods, running the Iditarod or the Yukon Quest, and making snow angels. Maybe snow angels, OK? I tentatively promise them. And at the moment winter does seem exciting. The air is fresh, the snow is welcome and the aurora has returned like an old friend. I have the colours and scents of spring, summer and fall tucked into all the nooks and crannies of my mind. I don’t know how long I’ll feel this way, but right now, today, all is just fine and I’m as ready as I’m going to be. Maybe tomorrow and down the line will be different, as winter is long. But I can only take it one day at a time.
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