To those who are reading this, you may be wondering just how on earth winter can be better than summer. Perhaps this article will convince you, or maybe it won’t. But now that you’re reading it, you might as well hear me out. 

For some context, I grew up in Iowa on a horse farm, and during the summer, I spent a lot of time working outside. Some of you may relate to this, as summer is the busiest time of year for many farm kids, regardless of whether they are raising livestock or crops. This means hours spent in the hot sun with little to no time for enjoyable activities. 

One of the worst jobs I have to do in the summer is baling hay. For those who have never experienced this kind of work, consider yourself lucky. It involves throwing small, square bales of hay around in 80 to 100 degree weather. These bales can range from 50 to 60 pounds. 

To the athletes who are possibly reading this, whose hubris is making them believe this job doesn’t sound too bad, you’re wrong. No, your confidence doesn’t make you special.

Being outside in the summertime for anything is miserable, as a lot of the time, the heat is inescapable. Wearing light clothing and staying hydrated helps somewhat, but not significantly. I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten sunburnt or nearly passed out during this season. For those of you who can swim or work indoors, consider yourself lucky. 

Being out in the wintertime, though, can be tolerable if you dress right. During this season, I bundle up in a multitude of layers, and oftentimes, people can only see my eyes. No, my winter outfits are not by any means fashionable, but am I warm? Most certainly. 

The weather is more predictable and easier to avoid in the summer. For those of you who live in tornado central, you know how fast and damaging storms can become. In my home county, I had seen entire neighborhoods leveled by tornadoes. While winter does bring ice and snow, it doesn’t do nearly as much damage as tornadoes or thunderstorms. Tornadoes and thunderstorms can blow your house down, topple trees in your yard, take out your WiFi or power lines, crush your car or cause hail damage. Just think about how insurance companies will try every loophole to not pay for anything. 

Now you may be arguing that there is nothing to do in the wintertime, and to an extent, you’re right. However, if you are like me and don’t like excruciating heat, winter activities are much more appealing. Snowboarding, skiing, ice fishing, sledding and more are just some of the hobbies made for winter. If there’s no snow, just stay indoors, read the book you’ve been holding off on, do your homework or try bowling. If you really can’t wait to do a summer activity, try indoor swimming.

Winter has so much more to offer than people give it credit for. It’s not so bad if you think about it. So when you walk outside this week after reading this, consider my arguments. Perhaps this has changed your mind; perhaps not. Either way, I’m just glad it’s not summer.