Goodbye summer... hello happiness

I keep stumbling across posts bemoaning the end of summer and all that that entails. It seems some of you don't even like the autumn months because it means you're one step closer to winter! I guess I didn't realize how hard winter can be for so many people - the shorter days, the snow, the cold, and in some cases, the depression. For those of you who are grieving, I offer my sincerest sympathies.

I cannot, however, empathize.

Hi. My name is Becky and I have spring-onset Seasonal Affective Disorder.

It's true. Spring and summer are... well, they're okay, I guess. March and April typically aren't great months for me. I get lethargic, irritable, weepy, and I deal with it by eating whatever isn't nailed down. I've been told by many people that I must not enjoy summer because I live in Alaska, where the summers are sometimes referred to as "green winter." But that's simply not true. I've lived in places where there are long weeks of sunshine and ninety-five degree weather. When it's warm and sunny, I'm all about getting outside to enjoy it. It's just that after two months or so, I'm done. I've had my fill.

Cue September. Ah, September! The air is crisp, the leaves are changing, school has started - I love it all. And the best is still on the way. Bundling up to go scrounging for Halloween candy? Awesome. Alternating between eating half a pie plus a turkey leg and shoveling snow to burn the calories on Thanksgiving? Nothing better. The whole Christmas season? 'Nuf said. Of course, it's not just the holidays, either. There are snow caves and ice skating and sledding, oh my! Hot chocolate, big fat snowflakes, smiling like a mad woman as I scrape the snow off my car in the Target parking lot (and then the next two cars over just because I can), fluffy scarves, snowball fights... I really do love it all. Winter gives me a bit of a buzz.

So, friends, I'm sorry that you're sorry that summer is at an end. My life, however, just took a turn for the better.

P.S. If you feel the need to take me off the list of blogs you read because I used the words "Christmas," "snow," and "ice" in the month of September, I'll try my best to be understanding. Jack Frost, however, might smite you down.