I've long resisted cuffing season—the unofficial period of coupling that begins with the first post-Labor Day chill and wraps up in the thaw of early spring. Urban Dictionary describes this ritual as when "cold weather and prolonged indoor activity causes singles to become lonely and desperate to be cuffed." My therapist would refer to this as a coping mechanism. This year, amid constant chaos and government-mandated distance, I've have struggled to discern: Do I want a boyfriend or am I just cold?
It was a query I first posed last winter, while on a brisk walk with my roommate, each of us stuffing our hands into pockets and shielding our faces in scarves. While we immediately burst out laughing, it became clear that this wasn't an isolated thought. That theory was confirmed whenever I pitched this story to a number of my friends and co-workers: Everyone inevitably felt attacked, as if I was calling out their particular methods of coping in the cold.
The inability to decipher whether we're seeking a partner or a pashmina has only gotten stronger over a year of social distancing, existential doom, and too many nights rewatching
When Harry Met Sally.
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