The Slice: If it feels good, do it

So it won’t be long before the snowbirds head south.

Not the ones with feathers. The ones with RVs.

I’m not here to judge. They have their reasons for fleeing Spokane each year. They’re good people.

But I sort of feel sorry for them.

Those who escape frosty weather miss out on one of the best things in four-seasons life.

They miss the relieved sigh you experience when coming in from the cold. There’s nothing quite like it.

Now don’t misunderstand. I’m not suggesting cold temperatures, especially bitterly frigid temperatures, are necessarily something to relish. But coming into a warm, life-supporting home and closing the door behind you, man, that’s great.

You get to stand there and start shedding layers, feeling the searching fingers of heat reach in with restorative magic.

OK, I know what a cynic would say. If it feels good when you stop hitting yourself with a hammer, why do it in the first place? Why not go to Arizona? Where’s the charm in seasonal masochism?

Well, here’s the thing. Coming in from the cold isn’t just about stopping the pain. It’s about quietly celebrating the fact you have endured, proving for the zillionth time that you have what it takes to survive in our northern climate.

Of course, it never hurts to dress appropriately for cold weather. Ask a skier. Being outside doesn’t have to be a sufferfest.

Still, there are times when the cold pinches you and refuses to let go. That’s when, warmed by positive self-regard, you lumber bear-like toward your glowing cave, knowing what awaits.

Inside, the wave of warmth all but lifts you up. Rescued once again.

Granted, the simple act of coming inside on a cold day is not some big, momentous event. It happens over and over. We all do it.

All I’m saying is maybe we should not take it for granted.

In a way, I guess this is kind of funny. I mean, the idea of patting ourselves on the back for being hardy enough to come in out of the cold.

It’s just our way of life here. But you have to admit. It feels pretty good.

Warm-up questions: How many times have technological advances changed the way you take pictures of your kids/grandkids? How many hours would it take to watch it all?

Today’s Slice question: Life in the Inland Northwest hasn’t been the same since (fill in the blank) moved away/died.

Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. Please submit your made-up snowboarder slang, complete with definition and origin story.