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Inside Out

Don’t say it! 

Jeanne Sager
Posted 2/22/22

There are certain things words and phrases that are awfully tempting to say around this time of year.

They tend to come out on the warmer days, when temperatures that would leave you shivering …

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Inside Out

Don’t say it! 

Posted

There are certain things words and phrases that are awfully tempting to say around this time of year.

They tend to come out on the warmer days, when temperatures that would leave you shivering in September feel like a tropical breeze has beset our wintry corner of the world. And once they’re unleashed on the world, even those who typically turn up their nose at superstitions are set on edge.

You may not even realize you’re about to say one of these particularly dangerous phrases. They trip from your tongue almost without a thought.

“This winter really wasn’t that bad.”

“I don’t think we’ll need the plow guy to come again this winter!”

“It sure seems like the worst of it is over.”

“I’m so glad the warm weather is back!”

Don’t feel bad. It’s her, not you.

This is just how Mother Nature works in the Northeast. She teases you with an early spring, only to wait around for you to get comfortable so she can throw you back into the depths of winter.

Is this how she keeps us here? By reminding us why it is we chose to live in a world where the air hurts our faces by showing us a glimpse or two of what it means to live in this beautiful land when it’s warm?

Or is this just one of those cruel facts of life that builds a New Yorker’s character into one we’ll just call “unique”?

Spring is coming. That’s safe enough to say.

But winter’s not done with us ... yet.

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