“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.” -Albert Camus

It is the last day of November, in Detroit, and it reached over 60 degrees today.

As shocking as that sounds, it is also bittersweet knowing that winter is knocking on the door and it will soon get a lot colder. This fall seemed very short because initially it became cold very quickly but of course the weather has fluctuated. In good old Michigan weather fashion, we saw 20 degree shifts in high temperature in 8 hours. We have gone to sleep to a fresh coat of snow then wake up to see it has vanished. One day it was so cold in the morning when I stared my car my engine sounded like it was about to cry. Seriously.

Last year winter was a little brutal. There was probably only 5 days total where there was no snow on the ground at all. We had more than a few single digit or below 0 days (one day the high temp was -1 with wind chill making it below 20). Rush hour snow showers made getting and leaving work amazingly long. Also, my car remote has a malfunction so I couldn’t use my car starter for the first time last winter. Needless to say, it was a rough winter.

Although last winter was rough, and some say this one may even be worse, I go into this winter optimistic. I learned last year how to sort of block out the cold (you have no choice when you have to sit in your car as it warms up). Also driving in snow can be tough, but once you get used to it it gets a lot easier. Funny how people who are from here like myself still have to get used to driving in the snow every year. I think that’s why the first snow day of the year is a bad traffic day, even if it’s not a lot of snow. Interestingly enough, I think that’s a motto for life that winter reminds of us every year. Even though life may get darker, colder and harder to bare sometimes, remember to stay positive because your reality is largely based on how you perceive it. Plus look on the bright side, eventually it will get warmer. It always does.