The shadows are growing shorter.

The shadows are growing shorter.

I've written about this before, but when we hit this point of winter it gets tough. I notice GalPal sleeping later and going to bed earlier, simply because the elements are too much to bear and hibernation helps the time pass more quickly. I'm usually able to power though, though I do really hate the cold, but for some reason this year the chill is even affecting my mood and wearing me down. Maybe it's because we had a such a glorious summer this year and I just am so pissed it has to fade into memory, blurred by a frosted rear view. Maybe it's because I feel as if the cold grips my ankles to chain me to a radius of a couple of blocks because I simply don't want to venture to far from the warmth of my home unless absolutely necessary, thus triggering the early onset of cabin fever (which really shouldn't be hitting until January / February). Maybe Occam's Razor dictates I've simply grown sick of Chicago winters, period.

So I'm trying to put a positive spin on this. We're past the winter solstice so the days are growing longer, and the sun's reach is growing longer as it pulls us back towards the summer. And, oddly, I've found I actually enjoy shoveling our walks this winter, and not just because GalPal admits she finds it sexy when I do something so physical in the cold. I've discovered something therapeutic in clearing a way, creating a safe path throughout the snow and ice, and maybe that too is because I'm just trying to find a way to mentally navigate back towards warmer times.