
The past couple of weeks in Wisconsin, the temperatures in Wisconsin have hovered around freezing in the early morning hours. It might be a few degrees above 32 or a few below. Doesn’t matter.
What does matter is that I have seat warmers in my car. I use them. It makes me think of myself as a wimp.
Ten years ago, I would NEVER have considered turning on seat warmers in those temperatures. Now I look forward to it. I click the switch to “high,” and head out to work. It doesn’t matter that I turn the heater off after about 10 minutes. I’m still a wimp.
I look forward to the cold. I also looking forward to feeling the heat penetrate my back ever-so-slowly as I head out on the morning commute. There’s cocoon-like feeling, as if the elements can’t get inside the car. Once it warms up a bit, and the body has acclimated, the seat heater doesn’t matter any more.
As the weather chills, I find myself wimping out in other ways, too. One of my favorite things to do is head to the basement, where the temps are lower than the main floor of our house, and pull a comforter on to watch a sporting event. I feel wimpy, but also good, about this. The comforter helps if the weekend nap is coming up. You add to the good feeling of being in a cave, protected, covered, safe, with the ballgame helping you doze.
I could be a non-wimp and gut it out and sit in the easy chair without any covers over my body. I would probably still nap. But I prefer this wimpiness of covers over my body, drawing my arms in, and piling pillows next to the side for added comfort.
Covers and car seat warmers aren’t the only things that help me down the wimp path. We also now have stand-alone heaters to keep temperatures in specific areas of the house warmer than what the central heater does. Yeah, sometimes we use those space heaters just for a small space (like right next to your feet while you watch the game and take a nap 😊) because the central heating hasn’t kicked in, so I guess you could say in those situations I’m not a wimp. But I still think I am.
Comforters
It feels good. That’s probably the bottom line if you suspect yourself of becoming a wimp. You give in to something you’ve been denying yourself because it’s easier or makes you feel more comfortable. Like you’ve earned it.
I now find myself wearing a winter cap around the house if I’ve been outside wearing it in cold weather. Yes, there is way less hair to keep the top of my scalp warm than there was 15 years ago, but wearing it around the house is another wimp indicator.
Despite heading repeatedly down the wimpy path, I hold some hope for myself: after working out, the body warmed and revved up, I open the driver’s side window to refresh the car as winter’s call blasts inside. Once the interior cools down though, it’s time for seat warmers again.