Hello Everyone,

Welcome to The Invisible Vision Project’s Blog.

It is December, so it is technically winter. The winter here in where I live (in Canada) is very dreadful and long… But, this is not to say that I absolutely hate winter all along, I do love some aspects of winter as well. In today’s blog. I thought to share with you my LOVE and HATE relationship with Winter.

Let’s start with the reasons why I LOVE winter:

• A Winter Baby 

  In case you didn’t know, I was born in the winter. I was a January baby. Even though, I wasn’t born a very healthy and strong baby physically but I guess, I was determined and strong enough to make it through!
  [Also a fun fact:  On one winter day, my mom was carrying me in her arms while trying to walk down a slope or hill, and….she accidently slipped and fell, AND I was dropped to the ground! (Thankfully, because I was wrapped in a lot of layers, so I wasn’t hurt anywhere).

• Snow 

  I just LOVE when it snows! It’s so pure and white and fluffy! Too bad that I don’t play any winter sports (…I don’t play any sports in general). AND, I will also say, I do get quite emotional every year, especially when it’s the first snowfall of the year. Not only I was born in the winter, but someone that was very important to me was also born in the winter. But unfortunately, that person is no longer in this world… so I guess, whenever it’s the first snowfall of the winter season, it’s almost like a reminder that that person has returned to this world-it’s both sad beautiful.

• Holiday Season & Spirit 

  Another reason for me to LOVE winter is that, there’re so many holidays in winter! As we know, there’s Christmas and New Year. And, Chinese Lunar New Year is also in the winter (for those that don’t know, Chinese New Year usually fluctuates between the months of January and February, depending on the Lunar Calendar).

• Comfy Sweaters 

  I absolutely love comfy and soft sweaters! Especially, if it’s those REALLY soft and REALLY fluffy ones. In the recent years, I’ve been collecting at least one new comfy sweater a year, to add to my collection. Somehow, wearing comfy and soft sweater make me feel like I’m hugging a bear (Although, I don’t think hugging a REAL bear is a good idea…). BUT, I still really love wearing a good, comfy and soft sweater in the winter! (a.k.a. Sweater Weather).

• SHOPPING!!! SHOPPING!!! SHOPPING!!! 

  Since we just talked about the holiday season and spirit in the winter, we must now talk about SHOPPING! (I hope this is not giving away how much of a shopaholic I can be sometimes). Actually, I get more excited when I shop for presents for other people than for myself. I think, gift-giving is so important. And of course, I will not lie that I DO and I WILL buy my own presents, but only sometimes!~Now, let’s talk about what I HATE about Winter:

• Freezing COLD and WIND 

  The winter here in Canada is not only very COLD, it can also get very windy sometimes. For the past few years, I’ve been finding myself really struggling with the long and cold winter. A huge part of it is due to my health. But, if I was to have a choice in between cold and windy, I’d rather choose cold than windy because, I have A LOT more trouble during windy days than just during cold days. (Mr. Wind, you’re making my life so difficult so you can go away now). But realistically, either the cold or the wind don’t do my body any good. But, since I can’t just pack my belongings and move to California during the winter months, I’ll just have to deal with it, for now.

• Dryness and Wetness Altogether
  
  This might be a confusing one. When I say that winter is dry, you probably will understand because, the cold and the wind often make the environment very dry. Some people would even complain how the winter weather is making their skin feeling very tight and dry. BUT! The winter weather can be very wet as well. In a sense, this is where I’m talking about whenever the snow melts, and when it gets all slushy and mushy and gross outside. Don’t get me wrong, I still do LOVE the snow but, I don’t like it as much when it melts or especially when it gets so dirty- looking.
• Struggle of Getting Around 

  If you are someone with a disability and/or if you are someone using an assistive or a mobility device to get around, you probably will know what I’m talking about! For me personally, being Visually Impaired, and using a white cane- navigating the surroundings in the cold, windy and SNOWY weather condition is really difficult and even impossible sometimes. The snow is beautiful to look at but, it can cover up important landmarks that blind and visually impaired people use to get around. Also, because ice is almost transparent, a pair of blind or visually impaired eyes couldn’t possibly see that, and therefore, we’re very susceptible to falling. So, getting around anywhere in the winter season can be a real challenge!

• More Sick Days 

  As I mentioned, because of the cold and the wind that my body isn’t a fan of, I get sick a lot more often in the winter than in any other seasons of the year. Also, because I get sick more often, it’s less likely for me to get motivated to do things-that even include: school and work. Sometimes, just by doing so little could take A LOT out of me. So, this is pretty much to say that, I should just go into “hibernation mode” whenever winter comes (sometimes I really wish I could just do that, once in a while).Here you have it. This is My Love and Hate Relationship with Winter. I’d be interested to know how do you like winter? What’s winter like in where you live? And, what’s your favorite season of the year, if it’s not winter.

  Thank you for reading to the end!

  By: The Invisible Vision Project