Winter

Au milieu de l'hiver, j'ai découvert en moi un invincible été.
(In the depths of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.)

-Albert Camus

I find that there is something special about people who hold winter are their favorite season. Winter is hard. Winter is bitterly cold. It freezes your boogers and turns your (my) fingers and toes white. It's dark at 5 a.m., still dark at 6 a.m., and somehow still dark at 7 a.m. Your bed seems much harder to get out of and the sun-shiny day ends before you leave work, should you be lucky enough to have a sunny day in winter. There are fewer colors in nature, fewer varieties of fruits or vegetables to eat, and life in general is undeniably a bit harder to love. All this to say, I have much respect for people who like winter. They seem to have strong will power, self-generated energy and admirable adaptability.

For me, today was a test: Monday morning. Dark, icy and 8 degrees, I dragged myself out of bed for my run at 5 a.m. I packed my hot pink tights in my gym bag because they brighten up winter days and give me a little perk. I am already considering a second cup of coffee this afternoon, the bribe I made to myself this morning. If you get yourself out of bed to go running, Carrie, then you can have a second cup of coffee as a reward this afternoon.

And, so, fall is still my favorite season. But, winter has always been my second favorite. It's a challenge that makes me stronger. I'm still learning its ways and my ways of being happy during it. Winter makes me a little more creative by forcing me to search for the beautiful hidden gems and traditions that lie within it.