Day 9
I don’t know about you but I struggle with winter. I’m a sunshine girl and continuous cloud cover can sure drag me down. Don’t get me wrong, I love cloudy days every now and then, spread out little by little, a week or two apart…but not one after another after another!!
Since we’re on the subject, I don’t care for the cold weather that comes with winter either. It’s too cold outside to go without a coat but it’s too warm inside to have one on. So, you either wear your coat then take it off inside and lug it around trying to keep up with it or you go without a coat, dash as fast as you can to the car, teeth chattering, just so you don’t have to worry with a coat later. (I typically choose the latter)
Yes, if I’m not careful the winter months can really take a toll on my attitude and my gratitude. If I’m not careful I can find myself with a bad case of the winter blues.
I was in my late twenties when I decided my relationship with winter needed to change, so I devised a plan. I decided I was going to work on my feelings toward the season, try and make friends with it, embrace the gray, stay home as often as possible, rest, relax and renew! I concluded that if the animals could hibernate then so could I.
So, I pared down my schedule, left only what had to be done and began to embrace the winter season. I looked for ways to make it most enjoyable, drinking hot chocolate, trying new flavors of hot tea, setting aside movies to watch during this time of year, picking out books that I would save to read during winter and of course stocking up on fire wood. All of this created a shift in my feelings toward the cold and dreary days.
I actually began to look forward to December – February because I knew life would move a little more slowly. Winter now had a life of its own and it suddenly brought anticipation and excitement instead of dread and sadness.
So, my shift in perspective has helped me survive the winter months and not go absolutely crazy waiting on the sun to shine. It’s helped me see the beauty in these gray months and take pleasure in gearing down.
What do you love about the winter months? Are they easy or hard? What do you do to make the cold, gray season more enjoyable? Pass them along – we could all use some ideas.
In the meantime, add a little cayenne to your hot chocolate…it will put a little pep in your step!
joyinyourjourney.net 