It's a Love/Hate Relationship

Winter. Oh, how I love thee!? Winter. Oh, how I despise thee?!

One of the things I love about living in Utah is the distinct changing of the seasons. You have Spring, Summer, Fall and of course Winter...you know...best snow on Earth! I have always loved Winter. Everything is beautiful and appears clean after a fresh snowfall. Of course, the three greatest holidays fall in Winter which help to make the season merry. I know, I know. Technically, Thanksgiving is a Fall holiday, but in Utah the weather has already turned from Fall to Winter. I really do enjoy and love Winter. However...

I hate and loathe Winter! There is not a worse time for me than Winter time. When the air turns cold and crisp for days and weeks on end, my body falls apart. Some may not know, but I have a few health problems; psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. And these three diseases have had war declared upon them by Old Mother Winter. All three of these diseases are auto-immune diseases which basically means my immune system is somewhat ultra active, but highly focused on one thing. For instance my skin. If I cut myself, I heal almost as fast as Wolverine. Unfortunately, the rest of me is vulnerable. It is like having 8 corner backs on a football team, but they all cover the same receiver! I get scored on every time! This basically means, I spend most of Winter sick. To make matters worse, the injections I take twice a week further weaken my immune system which means I have to decide to become further vulnerable or not take them in times of illness in an effort to give my immune system a fighting chance! So, as I enter the Christmas week, I am still coughing from my bout with illness in early October and am now coming down with a sore throat all the while having battled a couple colds in the meantime. On top of that, my joints ache! My feet, my ankles, my knees, my lower back and my hands.

Now, I don't want to sound like a sad old man who does nothing but complain. The truth of the matter is that worse things happen to better people. Sarah's cousin, Jenteal, has a much more sever case of Rheumatoid Arthritis than I do and has had it for quite some time longer than me. She never complains. I look back now on days that Jenteal would go skiing without even a peep of discomfort. I whine like a baby when I have to tie my shoes! It just goes to show that attitude is a difference maker. I need to be more like Jenteal. BTW, Jenteal and her husband just had a little girl. I am not sure, but I believe they named her Marissa but have chosen to call her Marquessa. The worse is when the cold air makes my skin so dry and painful. It feels like someone dipped me in gasoline and tossed on a match! I don't know why I am opening up about this. I guess I just wanted to blog about this for some reason. The good thing is that I have an extremely high tolerance level to pain. I am unsure if I was born with it or if it comes from dealing with it for so long.

So, every fall with the turning of the leaves, I smile knowing that Winter soon cometh and brings with it the beauty of snow and the holidays. I then grimace in pain at the thought of it still. Again, I know that worse things happen to far better people. This truly was not a sympathy getter, I just wanted to blog about it. Merry Christmas!