February

This is the month for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in Rochester....well everywhere in the north. The sun is a distant memory at this point and the wind is biting. People are quiet and disconnected. I think it has its good points though. I wonder if it's coincidence that productivity is so high in the north. People have little else to do but work in the wintertime. We northerners don't take the sun for granted either. Yesterday the temperature hit 50 or so and I took the baby to the market with a friend because he hasn't been outside for months - barring the trips to and from the car. He just stared at the people milling around with big eyes. And right now the afternoon sun is streaming through the windows and hitting the floor - lighting up the places on the carpet where I badly need to vacuum. It lifts a weight off my chest seeing the sun - and I think it has that effect on everyone. You can feel the difference in attitude. At church this morning everyone was so cheerful and friendly - even more so than usual. So we brave the 6 months of cold every year and cherish the warm ones while they last. I don't think I'll ever move south if I can help it. For all the SADness up here it's worth it to appreciate the good things - when they come.