I’ve spent most of my life as the odd man out. From my early life as a nerdy, socially awkward kid to my current state as a guy with no interest in any sport except motorcycle racing, and who doesn’t watch television, I tend to be the odd man out in a lot of ways. I’ve grown to accept it, and it fits pretty well with my introverted tendencies.
From life as a nerdy, socially awkward kid to a guy with no interest in sports except motorcycle racing, who doesn't watch television, I tend to be the odd man out in a lot of ways. I've grown to accept it Click To TweetThis time, however, is different. I’m the odd man out not only with most of the people around me, but with my own family. Why?
Because I hate fall.
I don’t like pumpkin. I don’t like sweaters. I hate being cold. I love Halloween, but I don’t like the weather that comes with it. I don’t generally celebrate Thanksgiving, except as a couple days off. What you think of as “crisp,” I think of as “cold.” Fall to me represents cold with a side of death. The MotoGP season ends in the fall, and motorcycling becomes less enjoyable, as you have to balance the joy of riding with the risks of cold tires, wet leaves, and what wind chill your gear can handle. For dirt riding, the mud of summer and spring becomes like stone as it freezes, and if you have to cross a stream, then you risk being not only cold, but wet and cold.
All around me, people are celebrating the crisp air, the return of boots and sweaters and jeans, and pumpkin spice everything. They’re deep in football season. They’re hamming it up for Halloween (okay, I confess, so am I), and getting ready to consume mass quantities for Thanksgiving. My daughter is loving football season, because it’s also marching band season. My girlfriend is celebrating dry air and its effect on her hair, as well as boots and jeans and sweaters.
Me, I’m lamenting that it’s too cold to ride, and those 5:30AM dog walks are really starting to suck.
Call me when spring comes.