On a recent trip to Luxembourg, I spotted a cigarette disposal bin with a twist. It was asking smokers to choose between disposing of their cigarettes according to their answer to the following question:
“Which do you prefer: Summer or Winter?”
I was amused by this curious way to conduct a poll, but also reminded of a similar question that I put out to readers and listeners of the blog and podcast, A Fine Balance last summer.
My question (with no cigarettes in the mix) was whether people felt more balanced during the summer than the winter months.
Like the Luxembourgish poll, the results of mine were close. “Summer” won a clear majority (60%) but “winter” still scored a respectable 40%. I read into this that the impact of seasons on a person’s sense of balance is as individual as they are. Though winter often gets a bad reputation for its shorter and colder days, some people clearly thrive in it.
Winter is now on the horizon again.
Does that excite you with anticipation of festivities and warm cosiness, or does the idea of darkness and cold drawing in full you with dread?
Smoker or non-smoker, in the absence of a third disposal column for those that don’t mind either way, where would you place your butt?