My daughter complains about Winter saying
“Winter is darn cold and windy and there is always snow waiting to ruin my day. It is totally unnecessary.”
And I defend winter by telling her –
“Winter is as gorgeous as any other season.
Just as you rest during night to allow you to splurge all your energies during the day, winter is that resting time of the year for humans, animals and plants alike.
Waiting for the Spring season makes you appreciate the warm weather and its perks even more.
It teaches you patience and that good things come your way if you wait.
So winter is all about waiting and learning to wait.”

My daughter continues groaning –
“In winter, I have to wear socks every time and everywhere. And added to that,
I keep losing one of my sock of the pair for no fault of mine. I never seem to find the missing sock. It is so weird and frustrating.
I cannot throw the single sock away and I cannot keep waiting for the missing sock.”
I object again by clarifying,
“Even though socks come in pair, some of them like to venture out, now and then in solo.
It is not like they are hanging out with other socks and ditching their co-joined mate.
A single sock can be fiercely independent and likes to explore the spaces around them all alone and also spend some time in quiet contemplation.
But the absconding sock realizes knowledge gained in isolation, if not shared is knowledge wasted.
So sooner than later, the missing sock joins it’s grieving twin, to sing aloud its exploits and share its newly garnered wisdom.
So winter is also about losing yourself, looking within and ruminating about life.”

My daughter continues to whine –
“Oh ! you don’t get it, Dad. There is a long winter break and I miss all my friends from school. The break is just couple of weeks but it feels like eternity.
You cannot go out and have to stay inside, all day.”
Here comes my support for winter again.
“Out of the four seasons, both Diwali and Christmas have chosen to visit us only during the winter season.
You desperately look out to enjoy the lighted streets and burst the crackers that Diwali presents.
You wait all year for your Christmas presents which makes this season worth rooting for.
You also usher in the New year, every year during winter and start everything afresh.
So winter is about counting your presents and starting on a new note and a fresher you.”

My daughter continues to drown me in her winter misery –
“See what winter has done to the trees and grass in our yard. All the colorful leaves, fruits and flowers are gone. Trees look sad, dejected and pale.
I cannot bear to see them wallowing in pain.”
I persist.
“Oh sweetheart, even though most of the flora look barren during winter, they are not calling out for sympathy.
They are taking rest like the hibernating animals and getting ready to come back in full splendor when Spring calls.
Fresh leaves can only come when trees discard old, dried up and battle-scarred leaves.
So winter is telling us to shed our old baggage and renew our promise with the neighborhood.”

After hearing out my philosophical validation of winter, my daughter takes a deep breath, pauses and looks straight into my eyes.
I see this as a sign that she seems to have gathered some affection for winter. I was about to shout, “Hail Winter !”
But she startles me by surmising,
“But why wait for something and endure its trials and tribulations, when winter’s harsh and brutal encounters can be avoided by simply moving to a warm, tropical place !!”