Perception vs. Reality

Have you ever noticed how often what you perceive is totally different from reality.  By reality, I mean truth, not reality slanted by bias or yes, our own perceptions. Going around in circles here, I know.  And, I'm not trying to be either philosophical or political, merely noticing my own perceptions of temperature today vs. what is really happening and forecast to be happening.

Because of all the ice/snow/sleet warnings, and because birdbaths and driveway puddles have been frozen solid for a week or so, and because the lake not far from here was icing over when I drove by a short while ago, I've been running around here turning all the heat on and up to take the chill off before night falls.  That's my perception.  Reality is that while yes, my windshield was icing up in the bottom corners as I drove home, from light sleet falling, the outside temp was and is hovering around 33, whereas it was around 16 when I left home this morning.  Reality is that the ice/sleet is due to pass by quickly, temps are due to stay slightly above freezing tonight and tomorrow should be relatively balmy, in the 50s. 

So -- perception vs. reality: the cold wave we've been living with for a couple of weeks now is on its way out the door but I'm suddenly trying to batten down all the heat hatches as if it were going to be below zero here tonight.  Silly me. My perceived reality is that it's damned cold and has been all day!

But, I did hear on the local radio as I was driving home that this has been the coldest December on record in this area for the last 100 years, which predates even my childhood memories of what December ought to be like.  And to think I heard not too long ago that we were forecast to have a warmer-than-usual winter.  So much for the weather guessers.