On Wednesday in State College, the weather was sunny and a high of 52 degrees fahrenheit…YES PLEASE! Waking up to the forecast ringing true was such a delightful surprise and a gift- a small gift to keep us all going through the middle of the week and of the semester. Ever since I was a young teenager, I have felt the effects of seasonal depression/frequent mood changes. I always find it SO easy to have a great day when the sun is shining and the weather is a decent temperature. But the second it gets cold, dark, and winter hits…game over.
Living in Pennsylvania on the East Coast isn’t necessarily the best place for those who don’t like the cold and winter, especially State College. However, I have found my place here in PA and have chosen to stay. I have picked my battles and decided that the weather is not as important as building a hopeful future for myself. I feel that not liking the cold, even though it is a main part of my life, is an overarching metaphor for how things in my own life feel. The cold weather symbolizes the hardships, annoyances, and challenges that I cannot really avoid in life: anxiety, stress, sadness, and being uncomfortable. Although times of stress and discomfort are challenging, they do make you stronger as a person. These times build character, wisdom, and resilience. Just like the crappy weather that brings me down, it gives me another opportunity to look for the good in the situation and that makes me stronger and builds character, wisdom, and resilience. As the hard times make me appreciate the good times even more, the bad weather makes me appreciate the warmer, sunnier weather even more.
Thinking in this mindset is much easier said than done, but it is a goal of mine that I am working toward. The days where it is sunny and warm serve as another reason to keep getting through the winter- to keep fighting! Not this weekend but the next is day light savings, where our clocks “spring ahead” an hour. I used to DESPISE this weekend when I was little. Waking up for church on Sunday was awful, rolling out of bed even earlier than before. But this year, I am counting down the days! I cannot wait for the sunshine to stay out a little longer with every passing day. With the light comes more warmth in temperature and in my heart.
It has been a long, cold, treacherous year and I think we are all ready for some brighter days. Lucky for you, I have some good news: there are brighter days ahead!