The Dead of Winter

It's been a busy and productive few weeks for me as I've been working hard for the organizations I'm involved with, taking care of regular life, working at my job, and developing/writing The Houses of Hades. This renewal of productively comes on the heels of a solid month and a half of Winter doldrums (which I talked about in my last post). I know some of it is probably hormones (I'm moving towards "the change"), but a lot of it is just Winter.

Growing up in the Midwest, I am no stranger to Winter, and when I was a kid I loved it. I would play with my friends for hours in the snow building snow forts and sledding. It was just a part of growing up. That love never waned as I moved into my adult years. There was nothing I loved more than wearing warm coats, pretty scarves, and wearing my favorite jeans & long shirts. Over the past decade, however, the tide has shifted.

At first it was a just a sense of unpleasantness that arrived after about a month of frigid temps. This was still true to an extent this year, as back in December I was lamenting that Winter hadn't arrived. But during this holiday season, I realized that I'm starting to actually dread it. At first, I like it. The snow is pretty, it covers up the bareness of nature making for a nice change of scenery, but, honestly, that feeling only lasts for a short while. Then, once that newness has quickly worn off, I seem to plummet into a mild, seasonal case of the blues.

That case of the blues really hampers my drive, my creativity, and my productiveness in general. I had lofty goals when the new year rolled around, but I never really followed through with any of them until the last two weeks, and the last week in earnest. I've really been getting my house in order, taking care of projects, getting back in the saddle with my health, and working hard...it's a good feeling.

However, while I feel good about my accomplishments as of late, I realize that maybe I'm not the Winter person I thought I was, or maybe just not the Winter person I used to be. I'm sure I'll have another set of blues to deal with before Spring comes, and hopefully I can stay ahead of it. There's nothing I hate more than feeling useless. I think that someday, when I move away from here, I'm going to have to live somewhere warmer.

I hope you're staying warm, my friend. 

H.A.