Every winter, I usually get depressed. The days are long, dark and gloomy. Everything gets so cold all you can do is relegate yourself to the couch under a slew of blankets. Even Mt. Toms is closed for a month, stealing one of the simple pleasures in life away from the coldest, darkest, snow-ridden month.
What’s strange then is that this winter, with all the snow we’ve gotten has not felt dark, or long. It’s certainly been cold, though!
This year, it was pointed out numerous times that the months that are the darkest (December & January) actually have the days starting to get longer. I can’t say I’ve ever really paid attention to that before, only focusing on the negative energy of winter. However, at the end of January, it was getting obvious that the days were indeed getting longer!
Noticing the daily time the sun sets has certainly made me anticipate the coming spring. Instead of being depressed about the cold weather, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
But surely, that’s not all to my better mood this winter. Of course not! I’ve also found it very helpful to try learning something new. I’ve been following an online course over at www.lynda.com. It has kept me thinking about new and creative ways to express myself through art, and I’ve found myself inspired in these long months instead of dreading the sight of snowflakes.