I woke early this morning, before dawn. I didn't open the curtains in the living room; another grey morning was no temptation. Around seven, I noticed a glint of warmth where the curtain fell slightly open.
It was the sun, a stranger we haven't seen for what seems an eternity -- though in reality it's only been a week or so. The forecast calls for snow later this afternoon and tomorrow to end 2012, but even a few hours of sunlight has done wonders for my outlook.
It's far and away the coldest day of December, but all I noticed as I stepped outside was the reinvigorated saturation in the garden.
This likely isn't the last gloomy stretch we'll have this winter, so I'll need a full arsenal to battle the winter blahs. I've decided to bring a continual supply of fresh cut flowers into our home all winter, but am always looking for new ideas.
How do you fight back against the marching malaise?
I do several things to keep me out of the winter blues.... On my shopping trips for household needs I make it a point to shop at stores that have an indoor houseplant sales area (like Lowe's or Prairie Gardens here in Champaign) and get some "green rejuvination", or I visit the U of I Plant Conservatory and greenhouses. The second thing I do is I open up my photography website of my own greenspace/flower/agriculture photos and look through the galleries to remind me of the colorful beauty that is just around the corner!
ReplyDelete