If you’ve lived in Illinois long enough, you know there are certain things you don’t even question anymore. They just… exist. The wild part? You don’t even realize how unhinged some of it sounds until you say it out loud to someone who doesn’t live here.
Fire sign you’ve lived in Illinois too long: the weather doesn’t scare you. It just annoys you. Snowstorm? Still driving around. Tornado? Still running errands. The only thing that truly rattles you is when 30 degree weather in the morning changes to 67 degrees in the afternoon. Gets me every time.
Second sign you’ve lived here too long: you’ve mastered the art of dressing in layers like it’s a sport. You leave the house prepared for four seasons because you’ve been burned before. Gloves and a jacket around your waist, with a long sleeve tee and leggings for when you get hot at work. If you know, you know.
Also, you’ve probably stopped getting excited about nice weather because you don’t trust it. A random 60-degree day in January? WHY? Like, enjoy it… but not for long. Next day will be -1 degree with a crazy windchill…