Fighting off Winter Blues with a Stick

It's official, it's winter. I'm cold, I'm anxious, I'm depressed. I miss the sunshine. Whereas we normally get the sun streaming into our apartment during the day, we have not felt the rays on our faces until today. Don't get me wrong, we've had sunny days, they've just been so dreadfully cold that you don't look up. We go to school, piano, ice-skating, the store, with our heads buried in our scarves, our hands shoved in our pockets, our cheeks numb to the cold. I know we don't live in Canada, sure, but in all my running around with my kids I am constantly aware of Mother Nature's mood swings, and she's been pretty bitchy lately. (Am I allowed to say that?) 

It's finally affected my mood (obviously), and I find myself sleepy, cranky, and screaming inside my head. This happens every year, this year is just a little more intense than usual. But if I didn't know it was because of the weather I'd be going crazy. So instead I just don't answer the phone, lay low socially, forgive myself for fixing eggs for dinner, and try to exercise as much as possible. I'll feel like I need to jump off a bridge, but then I remember that it's only Winter, March will come, and like the talk I give myself during that last mile I'm running, I say, 'you can do this. this will not kill you- this will be over soon.' 

So anyway today wasn't too terribly cold- a reprieve before we dip to the 20s again. All 5 of us had almost a spring in our step as we hit the end of cold, gray, sun-sheltered Warren Street, looked up and down Church Street, and felt the sun in our eyes. We can do this. March will come. 

(And really, I'll get my sunshine fix sooner than that: We leave for Arizona in 2 weeks. For 5 days we'll get some high-quality Vitamin D, we'll be spoiled by Grandma, and we'll get to cut down on the packs of second-hand smoke we breathe. WE CAN'T WAIT!)