Cabin Fever!!!

Cooped up! Stuck inside! Snowbound! Words that describe desperation as we are forced to leave our routine, our normal way of being, and exist in a place where we cannot move about except for the four walls in which we dwell. We often call it “Cabin Fever” named after people who have found themselves in such a place, such as a cabin, and the walls seem to be closing in on them. This word is one we use synonymously with the idea that we have to escape to preserve our mental sanity.

I must admit that I have had a bit of this malady since last weekend when the snow began falling and the streets became icy and the temperatures began to plummet. I walk for exercise daily and I am usually out on the streets as the sun is coming up. I love to walk and look around the neighborhood, watching the birds and the squirrels and people going and coming. I have not been able to walk since the snow set in and feel like my legs are getting stiff from lack of exercise. I ventured out onto the street yesterday to see if it was safe to walk and returned home after just a half block when I recognized that street was icier than I imagined it would be.

So, today the temperature is supposed to reach the high 30s and hopefully the thaw will begin. Later today I need to go to the grocery store and see what is available and restock our pantry and refrigerator. I have seen reports that the stores are short on many supplies as people have bought up whatever was available. Panic buying set in as well as people stocking up on the basics and the trucks have been unable to get to stores because of the weather so it may be a few days before we can actually buy much.

I try to “live in the moment” as a good friend taught me years ago and try to accept the situation as it is but it is difficult at times to not yearn for something one cannot have. That is true in many situations in life but when we have unexpected circumstances that confine us we often find ourselves ill equipped to deal with what has come to visit us. Severe weather is not rare anywhere we may live but coping with it is a case of regional differences. Both our children live in areas where extreme snowfall is common in the winter. In those places, many people go about their business despite knee deep snow and businesses operate as usual. Texas is not one of those places, however. We are accustomed to balmy temperatures and snowfall that we have seen three times now in two months is as rare as the cuckoo. We close schools and stay home if an inch or less of snow falls but when 9 inches comes at one time we freak out.

Luckily, most people have obeyed the warnings and are staying at home. Staying at home is the easy part. Being happy in a confined location is another thing. For those of us who enjoy being physically active winter may be the most trying part of our year. It is as if we are on a ship in an ocean and we can venture as far as the walls of the ship but we cannot go beyond them because of the danger we would encounter in the deep. Ice and snow are similar circumstances. Water in its purest form which is pleasant to behold but difficult to navigate. Sitting still is the difficult part. Not moving but staying in place is a challenge. Having the capacity to just stay put….at least until the passage is safe.