It’s the last day of January, which means we’re slowly but surely crawling our way back to a life that’s worth living. We’re still far from the end, but I can imagine a world where I have beers on somebody’s back porch again and I’m not just curled up in a ball on my couch watching Severance. Yes, Midwesterners are well-adapted to the cold, but that doesn’t mean we enjoy it. 

Sure, there are a few freaks who will wear cargo shorts no matter what the weather is… but that’s not everyone. No, most of us just sit around waiting for it to be a little bit warm again. And by warm, we don’t need much. I’ll take 49 and sunny any day of the week. But when it’s so cold that you feel the mucous in your nose freeze whenever you step outside, then that’s an issue. I won’t complain out loud to any other Midwesterners (it’s poor form), but I will privately despair.