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Do I Have To Go Home?

April 8, 2011 · 24 comments

in Commentary, Life

In case you have not noticed my absence, we have been on vacation the last eight days in Florida. The weather here has been wonderful. We have had some storms, but for the most part, it has been sunny and warm.

What has really struck me this vacation is how much weather can really affect a person’s disposition. I don’t know if it is because the winter in Michigan seemed unusually long or what, but just seeing the sun and being able to walk outside in a short sleeved shirt has made a huge difference in my disposition. I had always heard about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), but I never really understood it until this year. Actually, I had always really enjoyed the winter until recently. I can now totally understand why people are drawn to warmer climates for half of the year. (I do not think I could handle Florida or some other warm weather states all year long though.).

If nothing else, I have definitely learned that I want to save even more money for retirement so that I can live in a comfortable climate year-round. Or, I will just have to have a job that is one hundred percent telecommuting so I can just pick up my computer and work from wherever I want. Oh, my husband needs to have a job like that too. In addition, it would be great if these jobs paid really well….

So, how much does climate affect you? Did you choose where you lived based on the weather at all, or did you just end up where your job or family took you?

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{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }

101 Centavos April 8, 2011 at 6:38 am

Welcome back, starting to worry about you.
Never heard about SAD, although it’s the proper acronym to reflect how a long winter makes you feel. This week it’s in the 70’s here in OK, so spring fever is in full swing. Hope you had a great time in Florida.

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Niki April 8, 2011 at 7:14 am

I am a believer. We have lived almost everywhere in the country, except the midwest, but not seeing the sun for a long periods of time does effect my disposition. We are still dealing with the snow in northwest PA, it’s April! That is depressing.

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Moneycone April 8, 2011 at 8:16 am

I certainly agree! Weather definitely has an effect on one’s disposition. I moved from a sunnier place to a 4 seasons state for various reasons, but I do think more sun=more happy people! 🙂

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Suba @ Wealth Informatics April 8, 2011 at 12:22 pm

I get depressed if there is no sun light for a long time. We specifically asked for an apartment facing south to get as much sun as possible. But that also means in summer we are sort of toasted. My husband could handle Sun better than shoveling snow. So we are ok here. But if we have to choose, we would choose a mild climate all around. We really like San Diego wrt weather…

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Moneysanity April 8, 2011 at 12:46 pm

Climate has a great effect on your mood and productivity. I find that d3 tablets and plenty of exercise helps, but nothing beats Florida in the Winter. My dream is similar to yours – have a stay at home job.

Alan

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krantcents April 8, 2011 at 1:37 pm

I feel that way at the end of every vacation! I live in Los Angeles where we have close to 300 days of sunshine. If there are more than two (2) days of rain, I am affected! Crazy compared to other parts of the country I know. I have only lived here roughly half my life, so I know what bad weather is like. I grew up in New York and New Jersey. When you are used to living in a place for a while you have very short memory. There are shortcomings to sunny weather such as skin cancer, hot summers and crowds of people. You know all those people moving to California! HaHa!!!!

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Khaleef @ KNS Financial April 9, 2011 at 2:05 am

Yes you have to come back! I know what you mean about getting spoiled by the great weather. We have had such an unusually bad winter – I’m starting not to like that season as much as I used to!

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First Gen American April 9, 2011 at 6:46 am

1. It’s always a sign of a good vacation when you try to figure out ways to stay there..hurray for good planning.

2. My favorite time of year to take vacation is Feb/Mar, because it’s a welcome break from our long winter. (I tried this year, but you know how that ended up).

3. Yes, I think SAD is real, although I noticed it most in England where it’s cloudy almost all year long. It’s not so much the cold that affected me but the lack of sunshine. I think with all the storms we’ve had this year, the sun wasn’t out as much as it usually is in the winter…hence feeling it more this year vs last. (Just a theory).

Welcome back.

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Financial Samurai April 9, 2011 at 11:07 am

Welcome back! Wrote some important initiatives on Yakezie.com and in the forums if you have time to check it out.

Weather is a COMPLETE game changer to me! When I ived on the east coast, I was much more gloomy when the grey skies for 6 months of the year were out. Now, it’s 80% blue skies all the time and 20% rain, which means snow in Tahoe! AWESOME!

Sam

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Kay Lynn @ Bucksome Boomer April 9, 2011 at 2:29 pm

I must live somewhere with good weather (and do). I’m glad you’ve enjoyed your vacation. It’s good to take a break now and then.

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Little House April 9, 2011 at 2:29 pm

I’ve lived in sunny California for almost my entire life and really think that part of my positive outlook is due to the temperate weather! I don’t know how well I’d do living in a place where it was gloomy and cold half the year. My body couldn’t handle it, but then again maybe I’ve turned into a wimp. 🙂

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Nicole April 9, 2011 at 9:35 pm

I don’t think I can ever move back up north! I LOVE sunny weather and hate snow. I’m a much happier camper when there’s no winter.

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Barb Friedberg April 10, 2011 at 8:59 am

It’s like you are in my mind!! I’m usually quite cheerful and optimistic! One gloomy day this week threw me into a funk. Weather has a huge impact on mood!!!

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Jackie April 10, 2011 at 1:23 pm

I seem to be affected by SAD every year. I can’t wait for spring to come. I didn’t really choose where we currently live but part of our long term goal is to move to a more palpable climate and find better jobs.

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Sam April 10, 2011 at 3:26 pm

Nice at least nine days 🙂 Florida is great have you ever been at Mediteranien ..Italy or France or other countries …we have real nice and cheap villas to rent ..if interested 🙂

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Money Reasons April 10, 2011 at 8:58 pm

I know exactly when you mean! I’m happy that it was over 70% today, we went on a walk in the park, and I even got to wear shorts!

I taught my daughter how to skip flat stones on a small pond, and we even saw turtles in a different pond!

Today was a perfect day! I bet Florida was a great time, glad you got to recharge your batteries!

I miss my deck, I’ll be glad to be out drinking a cool while blogging some night soon 🙂

As for my location, I wanted to move after graduating from college, but my wife wanted to stay close to family. So we stayed put…

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Kevin@InvestItWisely April 10, 2011 at 9:09 pm

I don’t know, I’m just glad that the winter is FINALLY over. Six long months of cold and dreary weather can really get on someone’s nerves! Global warming? Why is our Earth so cold to begin with? On a geological scale we’re not even supposed to have ice caps! It’s only a consequence of the position of the continents that winter even exists. I don’t mind it for a month or two, but six months is just too much. 😛

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Dana April 11, 2011 at 7:00 am

Oh definitely the weather affects my mood. We live in Florida and I can tell you that the couple of days it has rained lately put me in a downer. We just enjoyed an awesome weekend at the beach and I feel ready to face the hectic week ahead!

Glad you enjoyed your visit and that the weather cooperated for you!

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LifeAndMyFinances April 11, 2011 at 7:02 am

Florida is a pretty wonderful place, but you are right, it’s tough to live there. I was there for about three years and the summers are brutal! Also, the people are pretty into themselves (aka plastic surgery all over!) which makes it tough to make friends. The winter weather is amazing though.

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Deidre April 11, 2011 at 2:04 pm

Glad your vacation was awesome! Yes, I too have lived in places that were sunny (Miami) and places that were not so sunny 🙂 I loved living in FL and all that it can bring, I’m an outdoors kind of person anyway.

After being in TX for awhile, I am currently working in AZ and have loved every minute of it … even when it was 97 degrees the last week in March!

I think one of the reasons we are so affected by ‘sun or no sun’ is that our modern lifestyle dictates that we spend much of our time indoors (including the car). This, along with using sunscreen (which IS necessary), has created a situation where many people are Vitamin D deficient and are not aware that its a problem. This deficiency has many many affects, feeling low or sluggish is one of them. A simple blood test at the Dr’s during the yearly physical can reveal if this is an issue.

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Squirrelers April 11, 2011 at 11:53 pm

Vacations are great. I generally come back with some kind of change in perspective, even if temporary in some cases. Part of that often includes thinking about how neat it would be to live somewhere different….particularly places with better weather! That said, I’m not leaving here (Chicago) anytime soon. I’ll settle for the vacations for now, and consider a warmer climate for later in life.

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Kris April 12, 2011 at 2:14 pm

Squirrel- I always think of what it would be like to live wherever we are on vacation. I think the area I found most tempting was a small town called Duck in the Outer Banks for North Carolina. Very cute, but very expensive too. I imagine the hurricanes are quite interesting there though.

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