It’s been cold.

My hands have been too frozen to type.

It has been consistently in the 20s the last couple of weeks, which wouldn’t seem conducive to the time I like to spend outside (the vital, crucial time I must spend outside to survive the winter).

So I haven’t really warmed up.

But I’m not feeling the usual winter blues.

I’ve put away my happy light (for now).

And I’ve started taking morning walks.

I pick a philosophical podcast to listen to (I’m loving On Being right now – how did it take me so long to discover this one?).

Or I take in the silence of the morning on the river.

It’s usually me and the birds and the light from the skyline and a couple of brave runners.

The mornings are my moments of zen sandwiched in between a week of deadlines, commuting, and catching up on Trump news.

I notice the patterns and shapes and sounds. And I breathe.

So I haven’t really warmed up.

But I’ve been creating my own hygge – a Nordic tradition of making ordinary things more special during winter in order to make it through the season.

And so far it’s working.