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How SAD
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What is the definition of SAD? During the cold winter months, many of us don’t get enough sun, which causes many people to suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD (one of the best acronyms ever created). This diagnosis could have been around for many years but I only heard of this syndrome a number of years ago. According to Wikipedia, “Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids. In humans, vitamin D is unique both because it functions as a prohormone and because the body can synthesize it (as vitamin D3) when sun exposure is adequate.” One benefit to Vitamin D is that it keeps your bones healthy.
Did any of that make sense to you? If you are like me, all I read was – Vitamin D…blah blah blah…sun. Good. I know many people who take Vitamin D during the winter months and they swear by its beneficial characteristics. I’ve never tried it.
There aren’t many opportunities for me, as a father of five boys, to ponder life’s mysteries or to disprove Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, but when I do find time, I more or less figure out what is going on in my world and try to make sense of it. I ask questions like: Why did I have all boys? Why do they always fight? Why is my hair and hearing going? How did I luck out with such a wonderful wife? (Added that for brownie points since Valentine’s Day is coming up.)
Recently, I wondered why this winter felt so different from other winters. We moved to a new house this past summer, but that wasn’t it. Small town? Nope. Santa didn’t give me the motorcycle I asked for? No again. I still have no clue why he doesn’t receive my numerous letters; it’s almost on the verge of mail stalking (or stocking… sorry, couldn’t resist). No, I realized that this winter has been very uncharacteristic of the usual weather patterns. I finally figured it out! And thusly, I have scientifically and psychologically come up with a new definition for SAD. SAD is not having enough snow to toboggan down the hill. SAD is it not being cold enough for the outdoor ice rink to stay frozen. SAD is not having to shovel snow every single day. You see, for me, this is what winter is all about and I haven’t spent much time doing these great outdoor activities so far this year.
But hold on! SAD for me could also mean that there is too much snow to toboggan on and too cold to go skating outdoors and so much snow that I would break my back from shovelling. What a predicament I was in! How could I make sense of all of this? This is when I turned to the great prophet Yogi Berra who said, “Baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical.” He didn’t always make sense, but I understand what he meant.
We’ll never be happy with the weather; too hot, too cold, too much snow, not enough snow. This is where I’ll break out the clichés to help make my point: I will make lemonade out of lemons, turn over a new leaf, polish off the skis, and find my Ying to my Yang. I am going to find the silver lining every day and take what life hands me. This is what will keep me from feeling SAD.
I don’t want to make light of Seasonal Affective Disorder as I know many people who suffer from it, and looking back at one point in my life, I did too. I believe this is why Canadians love to take trips to Mexico or Cuba. However, this is my solution for the winter doldrums. And before I know it, I’ll be outside cutting the grass, gardening, hiking, biking, sitting on the patio, drinking lemonade and grilling up some Filipino BBQ. But wait, next winter is only nine months away! How sad.
Dale Burgos manages the communications department for a Winnipeg school division and recently attempted to change the definition of SAD on Wikipedia, with no success.
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