Embracing Winter

It was sunny again today, and not to talk about the weather all the time like an old person, but I think the frequent sunshine is making all the difference in my view of winter this year. Usually by mid-January I am HATING THE SNOW and very busy trying to hide under a blanket while I eat carbohydrates.

And maybe I am gloating too soon, but I think the combination of sunshine and the fact that, for the first time, the girls are really, truly old enough to play outside in the snow for semi-long periods of time is making it . . . fun. I never thought I would say that about winter (and clearly I would prefer that it be 70 and sunny right now), but it is true. I am not filled with a sense of dread every day. I don't feel trapped in my house. I am not counting down the days until spring might finally be here. Instead, I'm working out regularly both inside and out (even getting my butt out of bed for that 6:00 a.m. bootcamp at least once a week), going out with friends on weekends and drinking too much Lefthand Milk Stout, gearing up for our neighborhood's annual progressive dinner this weekend, and using some of the bonus indoor time to try new recipes and get more writing done.

This afternoon, though, the girls and I got our snow gear on and put the sleds in the back of the car. We went to Manhattan Park, where we made a snowman, had a snowball fight, and went sledding down a nice, big hill. We had the place all to ourselves and the girls were so thrilled to be doing something special that they didn't once complain about the cold or about the long trek back to the top of the hill. We'd all cram in the sled together (the hill basically ends at the road, so I didn't trust them going down without me to stop the sled at the bottom), a mess of boots and hats and sunglasses, then Wheeeeeee! all the way down. Over and over again, under the bluest sky with the sun shining on our faces. It was the best hour of my week so far.