Recalling Winter

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”
― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

While friends and family have endured the winter storm that wasn’t in the New York/New Jersey area, I’m reminded that I haven’t experienced winter since the beginning of 2013 (unless you count the couple days I recently spent in Seoul, which welcomed me with some flurries). 

The last winter I had in New Jersey was pretty bad, but not as awful as the previous one. That was the year of the brutal storm and freezing temperatures that prevented anything from melting while residents pretty much refused to even shovel out their cars to make street-clearing easier. It didn’t help that I had to walk to work at the community college every day on icy sidewalks that weren’t cleared.

What was the point of this post again? Oh yeah, I hate winter and I’m glad I’m living in a subtropical region that requires a jacket on occasion. Alright, I’ll admit it, I miss watching the snow. I just don’t like walking to work in it.

I actually enjoyed some of winter on my trip to Iceland — but that was more because of the landscape. I certainly didn’t enjoy the icy rain that Iceland enjoys more than snow in the winter. It was even worse to arrive home to even colder temperatures. Good thing I made a point of buying insulated winter boots for that trip so I could wear them upon my return to frigid New Jersey.

I’m not gloating about the current weather in Taipei — it rains too much for my liking and I know I’ll be miserable when the heat and humidity turn me into a lethargic puddle on the streets in the summer. Still, I don’t mind missing winter.

Do you ever feel like you miss the weather at home while traveling?