It looks like we have simply skipped winter this year. It’s been extremely bizarre to gaze out the windows and not see the familiar snow-covered backdrop that normally defines the season. There have been very few steady blankets of white settling over the landscape, or quiet mornings softened by snowfall. Inside, the absence of winter has been just as noticeable—hardly any fires glowing in the hearth, fewer evenings spent wrapped in that warm, cozy feeling of hibernation that winter naturally brings.
Instead, the season has passed in a strange, suspended state. The air has often felt more like early spring than the deep middle of winter, and that shift has created an unexpected sense of unease among many of my friends and associates—and for me too! Even the birds and flowers are confused!
Winter has always been a much-anticipated and important time of year. It serves a purpose beyond just colder temperatures. For many people, those winter months provide a natural pause in the rhythm of life—a time to slow down, reflect, and relax after the rush and bustle of the December holidays. By the time January arrives, the world usually settles into a quieter pace. Snow-covered days and long evenings encourage us to rest, regroup, and reset before the busy months return.
Without that long, rejuvenating stretch, the transition into the new year has felt strangely incomplete. Instead of easing into a period of calm, people seem to have been pushed forward too quickly. The weather has been so mild and spring-like that it triggers thoughts of spring cleaning, yard work, and outdoor projects—things that usually wait patiently until April or May. When those thoughts start creeping in during what should still be winter, it creates a subtle pressure to get moving again before we’ve had the chance to truly recharge.
On a very personal level, this season has left me feeling disordered and a bit cranky. Spring has always been my least favorite season. While many people welcome it enthusiastically, I have always dreaded what I call “mud season”—that messy in-between period when melting snow turns everything into slush and muck. I had looked forward to our long dirt driveway being snow-packed for months, keeping our cars nice and clean before the dreaded mud season arrives. But this year hasn’t followed that pattern at all. We never got true winter, yet we also haven’t had genuine spring conditions either. Instead of mud, we’ve mostly had dryness and dustiness. I have to go to the carwash at least weekly. And, of course, with that dryness comes a different kind of concern: fire danger. When the ground remains parched during months that are usually cold and snow-covered, it raises concerns about what the coming months might bring. That looming possibility adds yet another layer to the feeling of uneasiness many people are experiencing. The natural rhythms we depend on—the predictable cycle of seasons—feel slightly out of balance. When the environment around us doesn’t behave the way we expect, it can create a subtle but persistent sense that something is off. The fear of fire in the winter brings fear of what it will mean all summer.
Sometimes it’s the small disruptions—like a missing winter—that quietly remind us how much we rely on the familiar patterns of nature to ground us. If you’ve been feeling “off,” you are not alone!
