The winter of our discontent?

"For instance, at some point in your year (every year) it seems your life hits a "winter phase" of coldness and darkness with very little growth and fertility - a phase that gets you thinking: 'Oh no. That's it, my life is over. Everything good is gone. The world sucks.' Only to find that ... whaddyaknow ... your winter phase ends and the Spring Law arrives to spring you free into a phase filled with renewal and growth and brightness. Then comes your summer phase, followed by your fall phase, follow by winter, spring, summer, etc ... etc ..."
- how to be HAPPY, dammit
By Karen Salmansohn

The meteorologists say that this is the coldest winter we have experienced in five years - coincidentally the coldest winter we've had since I returned to New York. Not only is the cold bone-chilling, it seems like it snows every single day. I can't remember the last time that it snowed this many days.

I've never understood people who enjoy snow, cold weather and winter in general, being a person who loves to be barefoot and outdoors. I miss the days when I didn't own a winter coat in Charleston, when all I needed was my Patagonia fleece.

I've been sick since last Wednesday with some variant of the cold-flu that everyone in New York is currently harboring. Being sick in the depths of winter essentially transforms you into a "shut-in" - I left my apartment once between Wednesday morning and Friday evening, and that was to go to 7-11 to buy juice and Pop-Tarts. By the time Friday evening rolled around, I was eager to leave the confines of my apartment and to see another face.

Emotionally, winter just feels draining. It feels like everything has just stopped and that time is going to stand still until spring rolls around. Thankfully, we have that hope to hold out to - knowing that sooner or later, change is going to come and life is going to start moving again.

We stand up and brush ourselves off.

We count the days that the sun shines, rather than the days it snows (and hope they outnumber one another!)

We look forward to St. Patrick's Day (my favorite day of the year) which is practically just around the corner.

And we know that things will get better. The Spring Phase of life is coming soon.

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." - Albert Camus