1.23.2009

In the Bleak Midwinter Friday Five

Poor Singing Owl, she's had a rough morning! But despite it, she's given us this fun Friday Five:

Sorry for the late posting! My daughter's car won't start, and I just returned from driving her to work. I think she made need a block heater. Speaking of that...
Here in snow country we are settled in to what is a very long stretch of potentially boring days. The holidays are over. It is a very long time till we will get outside on a regular basis. The snow that seemed so beautiful at first is now dirty and the snow banks are piling up. Our vehicles are all the same shade of brownish grey, but if we go to the car wash our doors will freeze shut. People get grumpy. Of course, not everyone lives in a cold climate, but even in warmer places the days till springtime can get long. Help! Please give us five suggestions for combating cabin fever and staying cheerful in our monochromatic world?


I can sure relate to this-- I've been feeling a little cooped up and grumpy myself. Here are my best fixes:

  1. I go to the gym. I just figured this out last year, actually-- when I go to the gym (or, weather permitting, run outside), I hibernate MUCH less. I don't always want to do it, but I feel better afterwards every single time.
  2. I play with my new sewing machine! Having a project to work on keeps me from getting bored, which keeps me from getting cranky.
  3. I make much more of an effort to get together with friends-- even if I don't feel like it when I'm making the plans.
  4. I try to read less. This might seem odd, but I'm a huge reader, and have a tendancy to hole up with good books. But I get grumpy and bored in winter, so I've discovered that I maintain a nice balance in myself when I enjoy quiet, contemplative time in the summer and social time in the winter.
  5. I snuggle with Mr. M.
  6. Wait, I have an extra one-- I try to make fun spring plans so that I can count down to specific things. This year, it's the Cherry Blossom!

I cannot WAIT to read what other people do to make this blasted season go faster!

13 comments:

  1. So does thinking about going to the gym count? That's as far as I've gotten! Great play, love all your ideas!

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  2. #1 and #3 are great. Isn't it odd how we don't even want to make the effort to socialize at times when it would do us the most good?

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  3. I love "snuggling with Mr. M." and your others, of course. :)

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  4. Oooh, yes, snuggling is a great one.

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  5. I am so not a gym rat that, after having to forgo the gym for almost two months now between holiday travel and Disruptive Intervening Life Events, it surprises me how much I miss being there! Maybe next week.

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  6. Good play. I need to fit much more of #1 in my own life. (And the snuggling one is spot on.)

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  7. I would love to learn how to sew. My abilities stop at replacing buttons and the occasional knee patch! Great play! :)

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  8. I wish we HAD a gym. Snuggling...yeah...good idea. Snuggling is much better in winter than in summer!

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  9. There's great wisdom in your #4. Well, in all of it actually. Great play!

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  10. Sigh. Cherry blossoms. My retired Japanese friends took me out last year and we drank homemade sangria on a blanket under the flowering cherry trees. Heaven on earth. I can't wait for spring...

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  11. Hello,

    I'm your swap partner via Mindy and I will be chasing the winter blues away by making you something. No I won't be distilling any beer or wine but the present will be fun none the less. Check your email for my information.

    Peace,

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"So keep fightin' for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin' ass and celebratin' the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was."
-Saint Molly Ivins