I Was Thinking... Too Cold

Every year, at about this time, when the temperatures drop to the negative numbers, I wonder, why do we live here? It is a free country, and you can live wherever you please, so why do people live in an area where you can drive on the lakes in the winter because it gets so cold they freeze solid.
For one thing, it is so we can engage in the truly Minnesota rhetoric called “complaining.” It is in our genes. When there is nothing else to talk about, we can always complain about the weather.
Whether it is spring, summer, fall or winter, there is something about the weather in which we can find fault. It is raining too much to get in the fields. It is too hot and humid, and the mosquitoes are terrible. I hope we don’t get frost too early. It’s so cold, I’m not even going to go outside. The changing seasons and wide variety of weather conditions give us a reason to complain year around. But if that doesn’t give us enough material, we always have sports.
The Vikings failed us again. Sure, they had a 14-3 regular season, but they lost in the first round of the playoffs again. Many alive today don’t even remember the four losses in Super Bowls. The Twins haven’t been in the World Series for over 30 years. The last time the Gophers were in the Rose Bowl, I was 12. Minnesota hasn’t had an NBA title since the Lakers left for LA. There has never been a Stanley Cup trophy brought to Minnesota either.
Even in national politics, we’ve only gotten a Minnesotan as far as Vice President. Disappointment and complaining seems to be a part of who we are.
But maybe we have to change our perspective.
The temperatures did drop below zero, but my car still started, and I do have heated seats. Others didn’t let the cold stop them. I drove by the new apartment building going up in town and they were still working outside. Even though their window is open to the cold most of the time, my mail still got delivered.
When I left the parking ramp in Rochester, there was still someone in the cold booth to take my money. There were people outside at the Mayo Clinic helping people in and out of cars. I even saw several people standing against a wall outside to have a smoke. Some people bundled up and were walking their dogs. And compared to many parts of this country, maybe living in cold Minnesota isn’t so bad.
Watching the reports of the inferno sweeping across parts of California, the cold isn’t so bad. When I saw the devastation that went through Asheville, North Carolina after their hurricane spawned rains, Minnesota’s pretty good. When I saw the results of 150 mph winds and the storm surges that slammed Florida, I can tolerate a couple days of cold. When earthquakes lay whole cities in ruins, our summer humidity and bugs aren’t that bad. We do get some flooding, tornadoes do hit our state, and we have had some fires, but when I look at the troubles affecting other parts of the country and world, I’m glad I live where I do.
However, I still will retain my right to grumble and complain because that’s who we are.
Did You Ever Wonder? — Why aren’t Hemorrhoids called Asteroids?