Minnesota

Today there was an article in the paper that said "The weather finally caught up with the calendar". Hmph.

Now, for those of you who do not reside in, nor have ever visited our frozen tundra, let me explain a few things to you. (this is also for those of you who live here and just need a reminder)

Winters are COLD. Not- throw on a trendy sweater and tie a cute scarf around your neck cold--they are below 0, bundled up, wind whips through you, icicles form on your beard, eyelashes stick, freezing COLD.

Summers, are very opposite. It is HOT. The humidity keeps us indoors, we sweat just looking outside, the streets fry eggs, you can see the heat rediating off the sidewalks, air conditioners run 24 hours a day, beaches are packed, HOT.

Our spring and autumn seasons are pretty mild. But of course, it is too rainy, muddy, buggy, windy, dusk too early, dawn too early...we can't be pleased these seasons either.

But this summer? It hasn't been a typical stay inside because I can't breathe MN summer. And yet. We (and when I say we I mean those around me...but not me - we)still complain. No bugs. Beautiful breezes. No expensive electric bill from the AC running 24/7. Perfect evenings spent on our patio. No sunburns just by walking to get the mail. What is there to complain about?

I think it has been a perfect summer. I have nothing to complain about. I just got my fist insect bite last night at the riverside concert, and it wasn't even a mosquito. What on earth would I have to complain about this weather? Oh right...because it isn't typical. Shouldn't we be more alarmed than annoyed by our atypical season?

At any rate--if you will remember way back when and again, I decided I would not complain about our past winter. I made the decision to not complain about spring either. So what if I JUST washed the car and it is rainy and muddy again? Big deal if it looked like spring was here and we got a dusting of snow...we ARE in MN. The same went for summer. So what if it is 100 degrees and so muggy I can drink the air? I will NOT complain.

It feels SO good to not grumble about the weather! Lets be real. There are plenty of things I can control. Let me focus on those. The weather? Out of my hands. Complain about it? Hardly. I just adjust to it. And I am a lot happier by doing so.

Wanna try? Here is how. When you wake up on an August morning, and it is chillier than you thought it would be; throw on a sweatshirt over your tank, that way when it warms up later, you can just remove it!
The next day, if it is much hotter than you expect, dig out the sprinkler, make a pitcher of iced tea, and sit in the shade.
If the following day is so muggy that you can't enjoy a nice glass of iced tea or lemonade outside, turn on the air, and pack a bunch of boxes for moving do a puzzle with your kids.

See, it is easy to do! You just have to put your mind to it. And truly, your mind really is the only thing you can control--not the silly weather.

If you can't do that, MOVE! Because we are in MN after all, and if there is one thing predictable about MN weather, it is that it is unpredictable!