I am so not a fan of winter, but I think I’ve finally figured out why & what to do about it. I was walking through a parking lot with a good friend when he asked, “So did you replace your tires yet?” He knew they were starting to get iffy back in June, and no doubt needed a full on replacement by now.
“Uh, well, no. Not yet.”
“You better take care of that before it snows or you’re going to get stuck somewhere!”
The rest of that conversation, not that it was a long one, reminded me that I haven’t even remembered to go buy myself a windshield scraper (I’ve been using a credit card), or a snow shovel (Dust pan!)… “VELDA!” We were laughing by now “You need to be prepared!”
I thought back to previous winters… I remember wearing BREAD BAGS on my feet to keep from getting snow in my shoes when I was a kid. We actually were on pretty rough financial times, and my shoes had gaping holes in them. It turns out bread bags are slippery if you wear them on the outside but even less effective if you wear them over the socks, because you still get snow in your shoes. And (who knew?) when you wear them over your shoes, the other kids might throw stuff at you and call you “Bread Bags,” because bullies are so darn creative that way.
Other years I had good shoes, but rarely any boots or good gloves. And I haven’t bought them as an adult, either. I had very little discretionary spending money when I was married, and usually put what I had toward coats & boots for the kids, but in those ten years I only bought myself one rather thin coat that fell apart before winter was out, and one pair of totally ineffective boots. The car situation was always a nightmare, too. Now I CAN buy what I need, but … I just haven’t because I never did before. No wonder I dread winter, right?
I don’t remember whether my friend said it, or whether I thought it, or what, but I’ve got a scripture in mind from this whole incident. “if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.” If I was at all ready for winter, it might not be my favorite thing in the world, but it certainly wouldn’t be so bad as winters past. It’s inevitable where I live, so the fact that I’ve been spending more time fearing winter than getting ready for it is fairly ridiculous. What other fears could I put to rest if I’d just prepare myself?
For now, my goal this week is to have the car, my kids, and myself fully winterized by next Saturday. Boots, tires, a real coat, etc. I think I know what to do with the car at this point, but if any of my dear girlfriends have any idea how I can dress comfortably and affordably for winter, and still look like a girl, I could really use some help on a little shopping trip. 🙂
Legend of Velda 