Winter has arrived for us all once again.
Winter brings with it many things: the ends of things and the beginnings of others. It’s hard to not have points of reflection as the end of the year draws to a close and the beginning of a new one is preparing to emerge.
For me, it’s a time to remind myself that the cold winter is a shocking reminder to all of us that a peaceful life unappreciated can be taken away rather quickly.
By this, I of course mean that winter is static shock season and with that season, comes a vengeance to disturb that peace.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m Irish, or slightly overweight, or a combination of the two, or if I’m the closest thing in this world to being a Sith lord, but I have an unnatural susceptibility to being shocked in the winter.
However, I can’t harness the power itself. I just know when it’s going to happen and I hesitate to touch doorknobs or hype myself up to grab the TV remote. If I could harness it, it would look something like this:
I know that the logical and scientific explanation of this phenomenon is the colder, drier air and the shock is generated because of the lack of moisture in the air. There is also an added conduction in our skin from our layers of warm clothes combined with the drier air.
However, I seem to get shocked more than the average bear.
Every hand shake or hand hold I offer. Shock. Every door handle I touch. Shock. Every TV and TV remote. Shock. Almost anything after being underneath a blanket. Shock.
Do you know how many conductible things surround you until you’re constantly being shocked by them? It’s a lot.
Of the examples I listed above, the one that troubles me the most is the blanket one. It’s the winter. There are far fewer things more enjoyable in the winter than hiding beneath a blanket and watching movies.
I also have this blue velvet plush blanket that could win competitions for being the most comfortable blanket in the world. The down side to that? It causes for a much more charged up blanket than other blankets.
Removing that blanket and touching a doorknob or TV remote in the winter basically has the same effect as Marv touching the electrified sink handles in Home Alone 2.
Sometimes, the shock is so severe you can even see the sparks fly from my finger to whatever object is shocking me.
Friends and loved ones have noticed my susceptibility to this shock and like many other things in my life, they either question why this happens to me so often or make fun of me.
Both of these responses I’m used to, however, it doesn’t hurt more than the millisecond of a shock during the winter. When added altogether, my total shock pain throughout the winter is a lot more than a millisecond because it’s a constant form of shock therapy.
My winter blog from last year was a lot more intuitive than this one. I thought to myself “Could I write a more inner-thinking, retrospective blog that gives myself more purpose this winter?”
And yes, sure I could. My video game playing, reading, and television watching has remained since last winter. I have a lot to process and think about in my personal life that has me wanting to write a lot. The season still has its moments of comfort despite all the shocking.
I’m replaying the Uncharted series on PlayStation during the console’s 30th Anniversary celebration while also figuring out how I want to revive my YouTube channel to talk about the crumbs of Kingdom Hearts news we’ve gotten. I’m nearing the end of my reread through the Lord of the Rings series following a larger pause for the Percy Jackson series that occupied a majority of my reading this year. I’m also nearing the end of my very first watch of How I Met Your Mother knowing that I’ll watch it again someday because I find Ted Mosby to be extremely relatable.
However, sometimes you just have to write about how often you get shocked by doorknobs. It’s a phenomenon that deserves mentioning.
I hope you all find some comfort this winter despite all the shocks. By the sound of it, this might be a very long and cold winter. I hope I don’t shock you through a handshake or a hug, but no promises.
~DS
The Danny Diaries 