I’ve never been a fan of winter.  Simple things like getting outside on the bike, heading to the beach, going for a walk, or doing normal day-to-day activities, have mostly been lived in the shadow of a gloomy outlook. With the winter of 2025 fast approaching, I began asking myself why I felt this way – why spend the winter months wishing the weather was like summer?

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The reasons soon became clear – legacy issues from a past of negative thinking about myself and the world around me that was coupled with an unhealthy external locus of control.

In recent years, I’ve managed to develop a more positive approach to life, but the journey continues and my outlook towards winter was a reminder of things that still needed attention.

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To face the winter issue head-on, I decided to go to places not far from home that I love to visit in summer – along the Adelaide metropolitan coast – and experience them during the winter months through fresh eyes.

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The days were cool to cold, some mornings close to zero degrees, some days sunny, some cloudy, some wet, some windy and stormy. Regardless of the weather, people were still out and about making the most of things – mixing with friends, walking their dogs, playing sport, having a meal, or going for a stroll. I’d see beautiful and dramatic skies, plant life invigorated by the rain, and the seagulls, active as always, still scavenging for discarded hot chips.

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Some days, mostly when the weather was overcast or foggy, I’d often find myself in a more reflective mood, thinking about my life, the journey I’ve taken, and where I am now. I’d see families enjoying time together and think of how I missed much of that in my own childhood but now, by letting go of negative traits that formed in my past, have that life pleasure with my own daughter and granddaughter.

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It didn’t take long for me to realise that winter is a time to embrace, as is any other time of the year, and my negative winter mindset had no place or purpose in my life. It was time to let it go.