WINTER SCHADENFREUDE AT ITS PEAK

There’s some psychological competition between Northerners and Southerners each winter. If you live in Florida or Arizona, or have spent mega bucks renting a condo, you tend to enjoy hearing about snowstorms up north. Conversely, Northerners who stay at home laugh when their snow bird friends complain about a run of cold weather Down South. Right now, winter schadenfreude is at its peak.

Everyone enjoys a winter vacation in the South, except when the weather turns bad — Winter schadenfreude peaks out in January, when Southerners laugh about snowstorms up North.

While living in Florida year round, I remember the joy of basking in the sunshine while the media blasted horror stories about ice, snow, and power outs up north. That felt good for a few months. But along came early summer, and when it got hotter and more humid, and the greenery turned yellow, I missed cool spring rains, deep green leaves, mysterious gray skies and daffodils in bloom. I grew tired of the torrential rainfalls, and the searing heat of summer in Florida.

The thing I remember most clearly: you seldom saw children playing outside in residential neighborhoods. Kids stayed inside in the air conditioning all summer. Hard to believe, but the sameness of perpetual sunshine gets boring after a while. Then, i yearned for the crisp cool air and brilliant foliage of an Indiana autumn.

Let’s say you’re spending $3,000 a week for a condo on the beach in January. Your enjoyment of each expensive day is inversely proportional to how bad the weather is back home. On the other hand, a week of cloudy, cool, days in your rental seems like a wasted $3,000. Added to that regret is the hassle of packing your car for days ahead of time and staying in motels along the way, which may have bedbugs and lumpy mattresses.

Of course, some very lucky people own homes or condos in resort areas, and can afford to fly back and forth at will. I’m not talking about those fortunate folks. I’m thinking of the millions of people who pack up the car and endure the discomforts of a very long journey for a relatively short winter vacation. Driving hundreds of miles back and forth can be hazardous. Unexpected misery along the highways may include big city traffic hassles; blinding rains; snowstorms in March; Spring tornadoes, hour long traffic stalls due to deadly accidents; and food poisoning in strange restaurants.

There's a psychological competition between northerners and southerners during the winter months. Winter schadenfreude is at its peak. — Northerners feel winter schadenfreude when a cold spell hits the South.

Finally, one day, you decide that after a certain age, going South for the winter isn’t really worth the effort. You get in a load of wood or install an electric fireplace. You invest in warm flannel sheets. And then, one night in January, you find yourself comparing temperatures between here and there. When you see a bad weather forecast in your old resort city, you smile to yourself, thinking of all those folks shivering in cold damp condos and yes, you feel a bit of schadenfreude*.

*schadenfreude: pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune

August 5, 2019August 5, 2019

Mourning A National Tragedy

We’re in shock this morning. Our hearts go out to the victims of the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, and the lives that have been changed forever. We’re mourning a national tragedy.

This is a national day of mourning — GRIEVING FOR THE VICTIMS OF THIS WEEKEND OF TRAGEDY

Why do these things happen? I don’t remember any mass shootings while raising my children. Some presidential candidates are now politicizing the shootings. But forty years ago we had Democrats and Republicans and Jim Crow Laws and the Vietnam War. Mental illness was widely prevalent, but poorly understood or treated. And there was very little gun control.

This is what we didn’t have: the internet. There were no violent video games so readily available, desensitizing young men to violence. No one had a Facebook account, where people could brag and make other people envious. There was no Instagram or Twitter where you could publicly shame or bully someone to the point of suicide. Now, Instead of face to face relationships and real conversations, everyone just texts. We’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to talk to a real live person.

Technology has changed our world and done wondrous things for our society. But it’s also dehumanized us to the point where violence has become the norm.

December 31, 2018January 6, 2019

One Way to BE HAPPIER in 2019

On this New Year’s Eve, the media is full of suggestions for New Year’s resolutions that will make you a happier person. Most of them include diet and exercise. If this doesn’t seem very original or appealing, I’m reviving one of my most popular posts on Blogger with a different headline : One Way to BE HAPPIER in 2019:

Do you make your bed every day? If you don’t you have plenty of company. According to a survey of 68,000 people by Hunch . com, 59 percent of people don’t make their bed; 27 percent do, while 17 percent pay a housekeeper to do the dreaded job. This may be good or bad, but psychologists in that same survey found that 71 percent of bed makers consider themselves happy, while 62 percent of non-bed-makers say they’re unhappy. Bed makers were more apt to like their jobs, own a home, exercise, and feel well rested.

MAKING YOUR BED EACH DAY LEADS TO HAPPINESS AND ONLY TAKES 2 MINUTES

At girl scout camp, they told us to let our beds breathe before we had breakfast, then make them after we got back from the cafeteria. Some health advocates say that dust mites live in made beds, so they’re better left unmade. Turns out, this advice only applies to people who live in damp climates. The excuse does not apply to most of us in the USA.

Naval Admiral William Raven explained in a commencement speech at the University of Texas, Austin, why making your bed each day makes you happy:

. It gives you an accomplished feeling 1^st thing in the morning

. It helps with the clutter & visual appeal of your room

.It increases productivity and happiness

.It’s manageable

Studies prove that people who make their beds are happier, more productive, and successful. And it takes less than 2 minutes! So, whether it rains, sleets or snows–get up, make your bed, and face the day with a smile.😃

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

email me @ luciasin@aol.com

November 19, 2018November 19, 2018

FORMER SNOW BIRDS STAYING HOME

Why are two former snow birds staying home this winter? Before our retirements 20 years ago, my husband and I dreamed of spending the winter in a warmer climate. As we trudged our way to work through blizzards and freezing rain, we were comforted by the promise of escaping northern winters once and for all, once we began collecting social security.

That dream finally came true when we spent our first two winters in Costa Rica. What a beautiful romantic country with so much to see, charming people and near perfect weather. And yet, it seemed unwise to stay so long in a place where our health insurance wasn’t good, and our children would have to fly down to rescue us if we got sick.

We spent one winter in Florida, but it wasn’t right for us. Way too much traffic—so bad that the “natives” were forced to grocery shop in the middle of the night . Going out to dinner entailed long drives to get the the restaurant, and slow service once we arrived.

Next, we alternated between rented condominiums in Jekyll Island, Georgia, and South Padre Island, Texas. For the first few years, while our health was still good, it wasn’t a big deal to load up the car and drive to our destination. And, we didn’t mind the inconveniences that come with staying in a rental unit. We enjoyed shopping, walking the beach, enjoying a change of scene, and making friends from all over the USA. .

Island vacations sometimes disappoint — FORMER SNOWBIRDS ARE STAYING HOME THIS WINTER

But all of a sudden, I knew it was over. We couldn’t face packing up the car and driving through miles of hectic traffic, in snow, sleet, and rain; hampered by failing eyesight and slower reaction times. The positives of warmer weather and a change of scene now seemed outweighed by the negatives.

Here are a few things we won’t miss about spending the winter on a southern island:

Not having our local newspaper and the Indianapolis Star delivered to our door.. On an island, you’re lucky to have access to a USA today, if you’re wiling to get dressed and either walk or drive to a gas station.
Small screen TV with a finicky remote, frequent blackouts, and only a few channels.
Barely comfortable furniture, and no big recliner.
Driving miles across a bridge once a week to load up on groceries. .
A too small refrigerator and freezer . Sparse kitchen utensils and silverware.
Iffy weather, accompanied by erratic heating and cooling. I’ve spent many a cold day inside with my coat on, waiting for maintenance to “fix” things.
Forwarded mail arriving 7 to 10 days late.
Uncomfortable beds
Nothing but a walk in clinic across the bridge if you get sick., For years, it seemed that the effort to go South for the winter was worth it. And then, it didn’t. As Dorothy said to Toto, “there’s no place like home.”