The first time I heard of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) I was working at an Old Navy in Meridian. The Boise area had been covered by an abnormally long stretch of cloudiness and unseasonably cool weather. One of the managers was complaining about feeling depressed - that the dreary skies were getting her down. She claimed to have SAD and - at the time - I didn't even know that was a thing.
I thought that was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever heard.
But it is a thing. As I've grown older and wiser and researched stuff like vitamin D deficiencies and depression, I've come to accept that SAD is true and valid. Some people do develop symptoms similar to depression when the seasons change. Most people experience this in winter when the days are shorter and the sun doesn't come out to play as often. Most people attribute their emotional state to increased clouds and rain.
However, whatever SAD is, I'm the opposite. I don't like spending time in the sun. My body does not handle hot weather. All summer long, all I can think is that there's a dark basement and an air conditioning unit calling my name. I'm a winter person. I often tell people that I'd rather shiver than sweat. When it's cold out, you can always add another layer to get warmer. But when it's hot out, there's only so many layers that you can take off.
Maybe it's because I grew up in the Seattle area. Umbrellas are a foreign concept and the thought of using them hurts my brain. I'm waterproof. I don't need one. My emotional state is far more exuberant when it's stormy outside. Wind, rain, thunder. All of it makes me a bit manic. I'm like that song from Garbage: I'm only happy when it rains.
The truly sad part of this is that the rest of my wife and kids are all summer people.
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