Day 320: Ovanligt Väder (Uncommon Weather)

The weather is making me feel turned around today. It feels and looks like an early spring day. Sunny and warm and a sense of lightness in the air. Of course, that's just wishful thinking on my part. And even though it feels like spring would be openly welcomed right about now, I actually look forward to snuggling up against the winter cold and I am hopeful for snow. With this crazy warm weather however I don't know if I should expect or even hope for snow but I'm going to anyway. If we have to go through with it(winter), then I say, "Bring it on and bring on the snow!"

But if the weather wants to stay this "warm" a while longer, I would be perfectly okay with that too. I stepped out at lunch time today to go for a little stroll and take in some vitamin D and I think because it was extra beautiful out, I "accidentally" took a longer lunch than normal. I just couldn't bear to go back inside yet. As I made my way back to the office with my take-out lunch from Govinda's vegetarian restaurant, I noticed around me that it wasn't just me who thought getting outside was a good idea. Lots of people were also out enjoying the sun. No one was rushing to get back to their offices or even to the restaurants for lunch. Completely opposite from the haste of the morning commute. Everyone walked with a sort of rambling, meandering gate, which made me slow down as well. Who needs to be in a hurry anyway?

As I made my way up the last bit of the mörderbacke (muderously steep hill) and turned to go up the short set of stairs that signal I am almost back at the office, I hesitated for a long moment and just stood there, facing the sun with my eyes closed. I came very near going inside and telling everyone that I was taking the rest of the day off but in the end, I gave in and went back in. But standing in the sunshine there, I thought about how important sunny days are to me. A sunny day really can make or break it for me. Today reminded me of the many years I lived in Sunny Los Angeles. It very seldom rains in Southern California and the seasons are so mild that it is nearly impossible to tell which time of year it is based on the temperature. I missed having true seasons but I really loved living in a place where there is blue sky and sunshine nearly every single day. Now I am getting to enjoy a completely different climate and though I prefer a warm climate to a cold climate, the experience of living in such a different place is really cool. (And I mean that literally as well!)

Just something to remind you of warm sunny days... now I only need some guacamole and chips...

Day 318: Daily Dose

Do you think a person would still get a tan if they sunbathed in the winter? I mean, I know it would be unbearably cold and there may even be a risk of getting frost-bitten but could a tan actually be achieved if one was willing to tough it out? Strange question, I know, but it oddly crossed my mind when I stepped outside at lunchtime to take in my daily dose of vitamin D. Why anyone in their right mind would even consider sunbathing in the winter cold is beyond me but there might be that desperate person, craving a bit of color in the height of the one season in which we, or at least I, seem to become more pale. I could understand it. I really could.

Having lived in Sweden now going on my third winter, I have learned my lesson about seeking out as much sunshine as possible. If the sun happens to be out on a particular day and I just so happened to have brought my own lunch to work, I still escape to the outdoors for a brief ten to fifteen minutes to taken in a bit of sunshine before heading back in to enjoy my lunch in the warm office. Or if it happens to be a weekend morning and the sun is shining gloriously, waiting to go out even an hour later could lead to regret and anguish, as by then the sun might be happily tucked away behind some clouds, never to come out again for the rest of the day. The moral of this story? Go on out and get your sunshine, get your dose of vitamin D, at the first glimpse of sun that you see. Sometimes the sun goes on vacation during the winter and very seldom does it give notice.

Today must have been my lucky day because I was able to take in a double dose. The sun was shining brilliantly this morning as I rode my bike to work. And even though I was all bundled up against the -3 Celsius temperature, it somehow felt warmer than I expected it would. Unfortunately I doubt if I will have any tan lines to show for it. This time of year my face is the only part of me exposed to the sun.

I look just like Kenny from South Park most of the winter. :-D