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Survival of the fittest: Limping through the last of winter season

MARQUETTE – It’s happened a couple times already: That feeling when you step outside into unexpected sunshine, and the smell of melting and the sound of birds sends your heart into the clouds.

Counterintuitively, this is the hardest part of winter.

Don’t be tempted into thinking spring has sprung. It’s still clawing its way toward us behind a few more bouts of snow and frigid temperatures.

At least it’s been an easy winter, relatively. But we’ve still gone months without adequate levels of vitamin D and the winter workload is feeling heavier by the day.

The sun in my eyes on my way to and from work feels novel and wonderful and painful at the same time.

I’m tired. Too tired to cook or clean or get out of bed. I’m chronically late this time of year, because nothing feels more important than 10 more minutes of snoozing.

You’d think exhaustion would pull me early to bed. Instead, it leads to ill-advised second helpings of wine and awkward sleeps on the couch in my clothes, because I fell asleep during that last episode of “Game of Thrones.” (Season 6 premieres April 24!)

It’s true, my mental health could be better.

When I look around though, I hardly feel alone. I see a lot of stressed-out folks these days, not counting the enviable geniuses who planned vacations to warm, exotic places like Costa Rica, Tennessee and Traverse City – places where spring comes on time.

I am not one of those people.

I’ve been limping around on crutches from a skiing injury for more weeks than I’d like to recall. While the end is finally in sight, it couldn’t come soon enough.

When I can once again walk without pain or the sound of “crutch, crutch, crutch,” that in itself will feel like a vacation. Kind of.

The thing I miss most is yoga – which really is as magical as people say. It was my best and healthiest coping mechanism before this injury.

Instead of yoga, I continue to up my intake of cheese, which I believe is another symptom of having a vitamin D deficiency and of being human.

Case in point, I ate spreadable cheese from Christmas for dinner last night. To my credit, it’s a new low in these desperate times. Don’t be alarmed, I inspected it thoroughly. Besides, it’s the awesome kind with port wine and almonds.

In no way do I advocate this type of behavior. But why would I throw away a perfectly good ball of cheese – that calls to mind a strangely distant blur of family, gifts and laying out pages at The Mining Journal – just because I forgot it in the back of the fridge all this time?

I know you won’t judge me more than I’m judging myself.

I guess we can all be thankful this slow-moving winter caboose is headed into what will probably be a balmy, warm summer for us Superior people.

While that means much of the country and world may be a desert, for us, it’s a rare gift that we can appreciate via regular swims in the largest freshwater body on Earth. (Thus making the whole winter 100 percent worth it.)

So cheers – to no longer driving in the dark, to parting ways with these crutches and to not shoveling any more snow (or guilting other people into doing it for me). Cheers to seeing grass and soil and sand again soon.

Good job, everyone. We’re just about through the worst of it. But feel free to complain right up until you’re on the beach – I will be in no position to judge.

Editor’s note: Mary Wardell can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248.

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