I sat on my deck chair for a while this evening.

The winter storm that has been ravaging America for days on end has finally rolled into my area. I do not believe we are slated for snow, or even rain, so all we have to endure is an icy blast wending its way through coats and gloves. Although, tonight I wore neither.

It has been so incredibly unseasonably warm all winter. I know that I have saved money in heating costs. Being unemployed, the weather could be seen as a boon. But having MS, the warm weather is just plain discouraging. The heat exacerbates my symptoms and can be a serious danger to me. The warm weather, while not marked by summer's heat, just wearies me. I've been living in a tank top and shorts in a home that has often been hotter inside than out because I have yet to run the air conditioner. Two nights ago, when I laid down in bed, I turned to look at my alarm clock to note the time and saw that the temperature in my room was 79.4 degrees. With the ceiling fan on blast and a cold pack beneath my neck, I finally managed to fall asleep.

I know that dozens have died from this storm. I know that hundreds of thousands have suffered from cold and loss of electricity. I know that the entire country will pay for this storm when it comes time to buy their groceries in the coming weeks and months. I have prayed for the safety and well-being of those who have slammed by one storm after another and those who have laid their lives on the line trying to rescue both man and beasts in those beleaguered areas.

This I know...yet still I welcomed the arrival of winter's blast, even if it only lasts for a couple of weeks before vanishing back into the unseasonable warmth. I welcomed the cold because I feel better in such weather.

I sat on the deck chair even when I had to tuck my jersey pants into my socks and pull my sleeves down over my hands. I sat on the deck chair soaking in the energy that I found in the invigorating arctic air. I sat on the deck and spent the time shutting out the whole world to savor the moment, no job worries, no money worries, no puppy-dog worries. It was me and Old Man Winter...greeting each other like old friends.