escaping the cold

Well, bless your heart, winter’s here again, ain’t it? Chills you right to the bone, makes your teeth chatter like a squirrel on a sugar high. Makes a body think, “There’s gotta be someplace warmer, right?” Yep, escaping the cold, that’s the ticket. Don’t want to end up stiff as a board, you know?

So, where do folks go when the frost bites? I hear tell of some fancy places, like them Maldives. Sounds like something out of a picture book, all them blue waters and sunny skies. They say you can stay in them little houses right on top of the water. Can you imagine that? Sleeping with the fishes, but in a good way, ha! They got all sorts of things there, too, like them “wellness retreats”. Don’t rightly know what that is, but it sounds like a place where you can relax and forget all about the cold. They help you shake off them “winter blues,” whatever those are. Probably just means feeling sorry for yourself ’cause it’s cold.

Then there’s Europe, believe it or not. You wouldn’t think it, what with all them pictures of snow and such, but they got warm spots too. Beaches even! Imagine that, sunbathing in Europe in the winter. And them old towns, they call ’em “historic,” all them pretty buildings and such. Might be worth a look-see, if you’re into that kinda thing. Kinda makes you wonder why they don’t just stay there all year round, them Europeans. Maybe they like the cold, crazy folks.

• Sunny Beaches: Who knew Europe had beaches warm enough for winter sunbathing?
• Historic Towns: Pretty buildings and old stories, might be interesting.

Now, if you’re like me and don’t have a money tree growing in the backyard, them fancy places might be out of reach. But don’t you fret, there’s cheaper ways to get warm. Them folks talk about the Caribbean, say it ain’t as expensive as them Maldives. You can find all sorts of places there, little islands and such. They got beaches, sunshine, all that good stuff. And they say you can find places that won’t break the bank. Sounds like a good deal to me. Just gotta watch out for them hurricanes, I reckon. Don’t want to get blown away like a leaf in a windstorm.

And then there’s Southeast Asia, far as I can tell, it’s another place them city folks like to go. They say it’s got a lot of “culture”. Don’t know much about that, but they tell me it’s interesting. And it’s warm, that’s the main thing. Warm and sunny, just what a body needs when the wind’s howlin’ and the snow’s pilin’ up. They got all sorts of things to see and do there too, temples, markets, and such. Might be a good place to get lost for a while, forget all about the cold back home.

See, escaping the cold, it ain’t just for the rich folks. There’s ways to do it even if you ain’t got a pile of money. You just gotta look around, do a little research. There’s warm places all over the world, just waiting for you to come visit. Don’t let the winter get you down. Get yourself to somewhere warm, soak up some sunshine, and forget all about them shivers and shakes. Cause winter ain’t forever, thank the good Lord. It’ll pass, just like everything else. But till it does, a little sunshine never hurt nobody.

They say, “winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” That’s nice and all, sitting by the fire, but sometimes, home just ain’t warm enough. Sometimes, you need to pack your bags and go find some real warmth, some sunshine that’ll chase away them winter blues. And that’s alright, there’s no shame in wanting to be warm. So go on, escape the cold, find yourself a sunny spot, and thaw out them bones. You deserve it.