Basically, prolonged summer is my worst nightmare. When it’s hot, I’m lethargic, prone to complain, and watching people’s jaws drop as I tell them the tan-skinned girl in front of them burns in minutes and has had sun poisoning twice.
I’m one for cozy blankets, hot beverages, roaring fires and beautiful powdery slopes. I long for winter all year, and I’m quite possibly the only one I know who jumped for joy at the prospect of snow last April.
There’s something so beautiful to me about God making creation so that at a certain temperature you get to breathe into the world and literally see His air flow out of your body and into the atmosphere. It’s beautiful. And it captivates me so much that I don’t notice if I’m shivering or not.
That being said, climate on the Race has been hard for me. When we launched in the summer, it was summer in Haiti and the DR as well, just even hotter. We had a little lick of spring weather in South Africa, and I bought a $3 jersey (cardigan) and sipped hot tea all day while our hosts donned t shirts and marveled at how hot it was. Then it was Botswana and Zambia and let me tell you: the African sun hates me. India was technically winter and I loved being chilly once or twice last month.
Even before the Race, I was a mountain loving girl living in a Mickey Mouse world. In other words, I did not vibe with the Florida weather. It was flat and hot and sticky. One time my friend Kaycee and I drove for two hours looking for any change in elevation resembling a mountain. (We failed, but also talked about Jesus and listened to Hamilton for the better part of a day so it was a success in my book.) The one time a year that Orlando temps dip below forty was paradise for me, but living in Florida is a whole different story.
Now here I am in NEPAL! I’m buying jackets and gloves and drinking milk tea and hot lemon water!! I stepped off the plane and audibly gasped at the mountains surrounding me. I don’t kick off the blankets at night and I’m more energized than ever. It’s a dream come true.
It just goes to show that there are seasons of life that God has made us to thrive in, just as there are seasons of the year when some of us are definitely, definitely not thriving. But I learned so much from being hot in Haiti and sunburnt in Zambia. I found comfort and peace in the Lord even though circumstances were not suited for me. And that’s SO important. Because really how often will circumstances be catered to you and where you are your best?
God was with me through my five month meteorological nightmare just like He was with me while I was picking flakes of sunburnt skin off my scalp in EPCOT (gross, I know).
So here’s a picture of me, chilly, caffeinated, and completely in awe of the way the Lord ministers to us in every season. Happy winter!!!
