10-26-18...just some thoughts....

Thursday here.  It started out rainy and cloudy.  At lunch the rain had stopped but the clouds continued.

Liz called to tempt me into something active.  Surfing or running up the hill, the one hill on island.  Yesterday was similar in all respects except it might have been a bit windier which really didn't play a part.

"oh no....I don't think the surfing will be good, a bit of south in the wind, plus it's winter time  now"

"no, i have no energy, its winter time...it's cloudy...it's unmotivational...it's a perfect time to rest and just chill ...that's what wintertime is about"

so the latter excuse was for Wednesday, and the first for Thursday.  So its kind of reversed but you understand the thoughts a bit.

It's been stated here before on this ramble, about how there are no seasons out here.  There is no real change of seasons.  At best its a shift of a half hour of sunlight at sunset.  Of course it's also at sunrise but since there is work 5 of 7 days a week sunrise change isn't as notable.  Being from Ohio, where the seasons are incredibly different compared to living 8 degrees off the equator (Ohio is around 44).  Cool weather comes, storms come, leaves change, sports change, clothing changes, wood is stored, lawn mowers get winterized along with boats and days are ten hours shorter.  That is what happens at 44 degrees off the equator.

8 degrees off the equator, the trade winds come back and the days are an hour shorter.  That's it.

Compare those two paragraphs.  I came from the first paragraph.  Living in the second paragraph means missing the hibernation time that the first one never mentioned.  Hibernation.  That, in Ohio, was what I considered the excuse to chill.  Its cold outside, it's dark.  Sit home and relax because your activities are limited.  It was awesome.....the woodstove was lit, it was incredibly perfect to be warm by fire and watch movies.

Shift your mindset back to this place.  This place where the water stays 85 degrees year round.  Where the air stays pretty much the same, because its an island surrounded by water that stays 85 degrees year round.  So the only real difference here is that after Turkey day there is wind, tradewinds averaging around 23 mph, and the sun goes down at 6:35 instead of 7:08.

Winter in Ohio lasts at least 4 months.  Four months to hibernate.  Four months to rest.  Limited outdoor activities due to limited light.  It's a perfect system for an active person.

Here, 8 degrees off the equator where the daylight only shifts a bit, and the temperatures will never have you hiding inside to hibernate, one must embrace the slightest resemblance of winter and dive into it head first to hibernate.

So it was cloudy and rainy for the last two days...……………..and I happily hibernated for a few hours after work instead of surfing or running or ……..