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February is noted as the
month of love, little red hearts, valentines, and warmth. What a bunch
of malarkey.
All of your
dreams could come true today, and you still wouldn’t be completely
happy. Why? Because it’s February. That’s why.
It’s cold,
it’s gray, the electric bill doubled, the car’s been filthy for weeks,
the wind bites, and our bodies become parched and dry, literally
dehydrated from the elements and our own attempts to keep warm. The
month is even cluttered on the calendar, as we try to fit 30 days’ worth
of activities into 28 days. It’s February, and we haven’t seen a good
day of sunshine since I don’t know when.
I have learned that
February is better with freezing temperatures and snow. If you don’t
have the freezing temps, you have mud. I’m a person who is very fond of
shoes; thus, I hate mud. I also have all kinds of winter weather boots;
thus, my preference for snow.
Yes, in
February, I find my small seasonal joys in the articles I use to adorn
my feet. That’s February.
Of course,
February Blues are all just a matter of physical science. Because we
aren’t exposed to sunlight in the winter, our bodies do not produce the
amount of a chemical, “serotonin,” which makes the body feel elevated
and awake.
Meanwhile,
the body is producing “melatonin,” which makes you feel sleepy. This is
the natural chemical process of the body which makes us sleepy when it
gets dark, and wakes us when morning comes.
February
makes you sleepy. It’s a simple fact of science.
There are
ways to influence chemical processes in the body. It has to do with
light exposure. Professionals in the field suggest going outside for 20
minutes.
So, if you
see me standing around outside freezing to death in my cool winter
weather boots, you’ll know what on earth I’m doing.
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