Weather Psychology

It is amazing to me how much the weather can play with my head.  Over the past few years I have noticed how less and less tolerant I am of the gray skies, harsh temperatures, and brutal winds we experience about eight months of the year here in Missoula. There is nothing worse than going outside and immediately getting pulverized by the weather. Over time you view the weather very cynically and your memories of the big yellow thing in the sky start to fade away.

This week in Missoula, Spring finally decided to show itself. Not only did the temperatures go up dramatically but the SUN shined brightly through all of our mountains and valleys. Waking up in the morning and having the sunlight engulf my room is an automatic mood booster that lasts the whole day for me. Even though I spend most of the day in the office, having that exposure to the sun in the morning while I drive to work is enough to improve my mood throughout the whole day even if I am trapped indoors.  I can’t wait for the weekend as I will literally spend all my time outdoors.

Now while I do love the sun, I do not feel like its mere presence warrants a license not to wear a shirt. Living in a college town with a large hippie presence, you would probably not be surprised to know that once the thermometer hit about 65 degrees this week, dudes thought it was cool to walk around shirtless while playing their guitar or attempting to walk on a slack line. Come on now. Please, please wait until it is the middle of July and it is pushing 100 to do that….in fact, just don’t do it at all.

I am very thankful for the sunny skies this week. It really did seem like a long time coming. However, I can only imagine the agony I would go through if I lived in Seattle. I have no idea how people live in that city. Yes..it is big, exotic, and full of different things to do but rain 50% of the days of the year and cloudy for mostly all of them? I could not do that. Seattle is a great place to visit, not to live.  So before I bash on the climate too much in Missoula, I do understand that it could be worse. Eventually I do want to move to a city where the climate is more mild, the skies are more blue, and the wind a little less harsh. Probably not until I retire.  Don’t Blink.