Now that the holidays are over and we’re just trying to make it through January, it seems like there’s nothing to look forward to, doesn’t it? Well, I’m here to remind you that there IS one thing most of us will get to deal with soon, one thing that seems to be an annual UP tradition…
And that’s the winter crud.
You know what I’m talking about–the runny nose, the scratchy throat, the watery eyes, the cough, the fever, the loss of appetite, and the relentless ennui of being subjected to gray skies, gray snow, and gray thoughts day after day after unending day.
You know…that crud.
I’ve often wondered if it’s a chicken or egg thing–do we get the crud because we’ve spent the past few weeks clustered around people and running ourselves ragged? Or do we get the crud because we’ve enjoyed those few weeks of friends and family and busy schedules, and now have nothing to look forward to other than heading out to snowblow three times a day?
I’m sure someone who’s actually smart can tell you that. All I know is that the crud seems to be as much of a Yooper winter tradition as surfing and snow days.
Thankfully, the crud is like winter in the UP. I mean, I hope if you get the crud it doesn’t last seven months, but like winter it has a finite life span.
Even if the crud seems to stick with you for weeks on end, one day you will wake up and things will seem… different. They’ll seem better. Your nose will stop running and your cough will no longer rattles the windows.
It’s just like when you open your front door one day in March to find the sun is out and the snow has begun to melt.
All you have to do is make sure it doesn’t get the best of you before then.
I hope you’re lucky this year. I hope you’re able to defy tradition and escape the dreaded winter crud. But if you get it? Just remember–get a lot of rest. Stay hydrated.
And hopefully it won’t be like winter and last for 7 months.
I’m Jim Koski, and that’s another slice of “Life in the 906.”
