This week, we were supposed to go on vacation. We chose this week because the girls had only three days of school this week. And also, you know, because the weather in Ohio in January sucks monkey balls.
Two years ago, we nearly moved away after a decision made in January. I can remember the moment I agreed. We were driving to Chicago and I was staring out the window at the bare, brown, ugly midwestern landscape under perpetually gray skies. I just thought, “Fuck it. Anywhere would be at least as good as here, if not better.”
If we had moved then, it would have been big huge mistake. I don’t deny that. I mean, the loss of all the free grandparent babysitting alone would have been catastrophic to my mental health. Not to mention our low cost of living. None of these things seem nearly as important as sunshine in January. Thankfully, we came to our senses and decided to stay.
I think last year, I started agitating to sell our house in January too. By spring, I had convinced Mr. A to go along with it. Looking back, I think I just wanted SOMETHING to change. Anything at all.
It turns out that I am generally dissatisfied with almost everything about Ohio in January. The other day I caught myself daydreaming about moving to some other city far away. Of course, in this imaginary city, the sun was shining and the sky was blue. In that place, people don’t have to wear winter coats and boots and there aren’t piles of dirty, slushy snow cluttering up the landscape.
Mr. A and I know that I develop cabin fever and an intense dislike of the Midwest in January. That is why we were supposed to go on vacation: to protect both of our mental health. The vacation was aborted because we are supposed to close on our house next Monday. I am supposed to be using this time to pack. Instead, I am just sitting around wanting to escape the dreary. Don’t get me wrong, selling our house is exciting. Moving to a new house will be a relief. But more than anything, I just want some freaking SUN.
if you want help with packing, let me know. also, did you guys get the go-ahead for the rental you found?
I can help, too!
Sigh. We were supposed to go to Arizona last week for the exact same reason. Aborted because of budget crisis.
Maybe some double-dosing on the Magic Light would help? Also, vitamin D? Hang in there, January is almost over, and the sun is coming back (really!).
Two hours from the beach + Comfy air mattress + Close proximity to your friend in NC = road trip to my house. Just sayin’.
If it makes you feel better, we are in California and it is hideous here as well.
That’s a nice thing about blogging, isn’t it? Noticing those patterns. I too suffer doldrums during the winter time (though in our neck of the woods, it is December, with its dark day) that hits me the hardest. We have some days here with something like 4 hours of sunshine (OK, maybe I’m exaggerating, but when you merge 8 hour days with deep cloud cover, you can get there).
It took me a while to realize the general malaise was not the result of the specific things I was attributing it to.
(But, yay, you get your change, no?)
I hear ya… speaking as a born in ohio & lived here all my life expert….. January might suck but you can’t beat our Fall foilage
Tequila helps with the winter blues
Come here to AZ! Raining here this week, but will clear up by the wknd. Rain is very unusual. B4 the rain, we had 70 degree highs, hee hee… I hate Ohio too… went to Oberlin my 1st year of college and came back to AZ…
Come to Sydney. In January we are having an awesome summer that will put a spring on your step and a tan on your skin. I’m also doing the opposite and coming Stateside during the middle of winter here!
Oh I feel ya – I hate winter in the midwest. It finally got above -5 degrees and now we’ve been under fog for 4 days – which means migraine city.
I love the seasons, and would miss winter, but wouldn’t mind if it only lasted a month:) I always get the urge to make a change in March or April, right about the time my energy pops back.
Good luck with your move!
We just returned to sunshine, blue skies, and blinding green, green, green everywhere I look, after 2 months in Ohio. The sun is feeling surreal, but honestly, the landscape you are describing is home for me. I had no idea how much those browns and grays and whites spoke to my soul until I had them for a time again. I wish we could trade places for a bit. Or that you can find some sunshine somewhere!
Oh, that sucks. I hope that the magic light and the move being finished help to alleviate the blech feelings, since they really do drag you down.
Maybe a make-up trip for President’s Day weekend? Groundhog Day?
I’m a transplant to Ohio – we moved from the sunny south five years ago. February is my downfall – by then I’m so tired of grey skies and slushy, dirty, muddy yards and damp gloves & scarves that I’m ready to throttle everyone (might be coming early this year). I think I need to adopt the vacation in February plan – I’d go anywhere if I could see blue skies and sun.
I’m with Cary, come to my house (Thanks Cary!). We have sun and room and biscuits and buckets of comp time and M remembers your clan fondly.
Move to Australia! I live in Adelaide, Australia and have never seen snow in my life.
Are you really really sure you want to live in Ohio? Is the cost of living really that much lower? I mean, the cost of living in CA has gone down dramatically recently.
I did a reverse vacation and visited family in MN in February. Ugh. I really felt like rolling down the car windows and shouting “Why do you people live here? You know you have a choice, right?” I could never do it again. On the other hand, I’m not that close to my family and probably wouldn’t let them babysit anyway. And I’m sure summer is a better time to evaluate the midwest.