Lake Pleasant, ADK January 18 2014
We have been brutally attacked by this cold. The deep freeze came unexpected, overstayed its welcome and made me reconsider my whole winter wardrobe. There is one jacket – my yellow dawn skiing jacket – that was on its way to Goodwill, but was saved by single digit temperatures. After a few days in its cozy soft yellow comfort, I could not remember why in the world I wanted to get rid of such a beauty.
The arctic weather came after long holidays, so between felling heavy and drained, cold and unmotivated, I started figuring out how to beat this cold. I felt it was closing me in, it was making me hibernate, it was draining my energy like the 1926 windows on my house. I am no stranger to cold and had to re-adjust before when I went to college in Sarajevo, Bosnia, a place where cold is coupled with heavy smog and beautiful mountains around. Still these recent multiple days of single digits challenged me and made me come up with these BEAT THE COLD TIPS:
1. Real gear and clothing! Yes, invest in really warm gloves, pants, and really warm winter boots. Do not forget CuddlDuds! The best clothing items I never knew about. Thanks Karen for enlightening me.
2. Wear colorful and pretty clothes. Even better buy a new colorful coat. Buy warm AND really pretty boots. Yes, they are really expensive, but you know what – we’ll wear them for ever.
3. Just open the door and walk through it. Then close the door behind. There. Then walk some more.
Giant Mt, ADK January 19, 2014
4. Go out in the evening – to a concert, to a library, to see a friend, to work out, to yoga.
5. Snow shoe or XC ski. I have never been cold while XC skiing and I skied at zero F.
6. Buy or grow live flowers. Here are daffodils I have right in front of me as I write this.
7. Take it personally! Make it your own crusade to fight back and resist – what else can we do?? It is January only, we can not be waiving white flags (yet).
8. Practice yoga regularly – make it sometimes physical, make it sometimes resting, do not give in to the urge to cuddle up with a good book under a couple of blankets.
9. And lastly, do cuddle up with a good book occasionally, close to the window and soak in quietness of snow.
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
Dust of Snow. Robert Frost.