I Don't Feel So Good ...

Note:  It is now officially Summer, as of 6/21/18.

If you have a "summer cold"  you are showing these symptoms:  sneezing, nasal congestion and discharge, sore throat, cough and a low-grade fever; headache and "general malaise" may be present.

If you're exhibiting all of those symptoms, "malaise" comes as no surprise.

In contrast, a "winter" cold has all of the above plus (bonus!) slight body aches.  Richie is particularly prone to body aches.  He will moan plaintively, "My bones ache …"  This strikes me as unlikely as there are some 206 bones in the human body and at our ages (upper 70s) it is not surprising that things are beginning to go awry.   Just another day at the Pain Factory.

While the medical symptoms are clearly defined, the psychological factors are not (as far as I know.)

Reasoning:
Winter - cold weather, into and out of nice warm buildings  presenting a shock to our nervous systems.  We have been conditioned since toddlers that snow equals cold.  Of course, to a kid, this is a good thing - "Mommieee, I want my sled!"   For the rest of us, clad as we are in layers of clothing, it is not fun at all.

But wait! you say.  What about warm states - they don't get "cold."  I would remind you of winter headlines - "Florida orange crop doomed; freezing temperatures destroying orchards!"  And on the Business pages, "orange futures dismal; costs per half-gallon higher than $10 a container expected."

Having sneezed and wheezed ourselves through another winter, it is a distinct shock to our mental health to have the same symptoms in Summer!  Summer is - beaches, scanty suits, sand, tans, restaurant patio dining. convertibles with the top down all season … good stuff.  And we aren't ready for it mentally.

Just remind yourself that the average cold lasts seven to 10 days.  You're going to be fine.  It just doesn't feel like it now.  Get your beach gear together, put it in a visible spot and tell it every day, "We're gonna get there!"  Trust me, you'll feel much better.