It's coming....the cold weather is creeping up on me and I am working hard on not dreading it. My body doesn't like the cold - at all! So come the fall, I need all the help I can get staying warm because once the temperature drops below sixty degrees I start to feel it! My fingers turn white and it feels like the tips are in a hot vice, my toes burn and feel stiff and I feel that the very core of me has been put on ice. Once I get chilled, it's hard to warm up again. This is a part of fibro that makes me yearn for a warmer climate come January! But here I am in New Jersey and I have to cope with what I've got. There are lots of strategies I've adopted over the years that keep me more comfortable when I'm just freezing. You know the drill - at home - heat wraps, a throw on the couch, warm jammies, thick socks and so on. For outdoors - extra warm gloves, layers, super-warm coat, socks and boots and whatever else works.
One thing I do like about cooler weather is cozying up in a nice warm sweater. Last year when I was looking through my storage boxes of sweaters, it seemed that they all looked alike. In my quest to stay warm, had I gotten into a clothing rut? Well, yes, sort of. I am not a shopper, but I do like to feel put-together. I wear my sweaters for as many winter seasons as I can, and I tend to buy a lot of things in whatever store I'm in, just to avoid having to go somewhere else and do more searching. I've also been known to buy the exact same item in three different colors to simplify things. Whatever works. Anyway, I was really feeling like the sweaters I had weren't very comfortable or attractive and you know how it feels to look in the mirror on a cold, dark, fibro morning - ummmm, not good. I wanted to feel that when I got dressed to go out or to work, I looked my best. At the same time, I was dealing with the very real physical discomfort of living in a cold climate and needed to keep warmth a high fashion priority.
So I got playful. I went into a store that had racks of sweaters. I started pulling out pieces in colors I liked, in styles that were unlike anything I owned. That was my criteria - it had to be a choice that was out of the box. I found sweaters that looked good and others that literally made me laugh out loud. I wanted to take a risk and get out of my fashion box - not look like a clown. There was a young woman shopping near me and she helped me sort through my choices. I needed another set of eyes because the sweaters I finally chose to purchase were very far from my typical style. She liked them so I bought them. What fun!!! My goal was to keep warm and to feel good about my style and I think I got it right. So now I am facing this winter with a smile on my face, looking forward to wearing those sweaters again. They remind me to take a chance, get out of my own way and to find a way to enjoy whatever is next.
One thing I do like about cooler weather is cozying up in a nice warm sweater. Last year when I was looking through my storage boxes of sweaters, it seemed that they all looked alike. In my quest to stay warm, had I gotten into a clothing rut? Well, yes, sort of. I am not a shopper, but I do like to feel put-together. I wear my sweaters for as many winter seasons as I can, and I tend to buy a lot of things in whatever store I'm in, just to avoid having to go somewhere else and do more searching. I've also been known to buy the exact same item in three different colors to simplify things. Whatever works. Anyway, I was really feeling like the sweaters I had weren't very comfortable or attractive and you know how it feels to look in the mirror on a cold, dark, fibro morning - ummmm, not good. I wanted to feel that when I got dressed to go out or to work, I looked my best. At the same time, I was dealing with the very real physical discomfort of living in a cold climate and needed to keep warmth a high fashion priority.
So I got playful. I went into a store that had racks of sweaters. I started pulling out pieces in colors I liked, in styles that were unlike anything I owned. That was my criteria - it had to be a choice that was out of the box. I found sweaters that looked good and others that literally made me laugh out loud. I wanted to take a risk and get out of my fashion box - not look like a clown. There was a young woman shopping near me and she helped me sort through my choices. I needed another set of eyes because the sweaters I finally chose to purchase were very far from my typical style. She liked them so I bought them. What fun!!! My goal was to keep warm and to feel good about my style and I think I got it right. So now I am facing this winter with a smile on my face, looking forward to wearing those sweaters again. They remind me to take a chance, get out of my own way and to find a way to enjoy whatever is next.
Look forward to our winter visit in warm climes! Love you!
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