Holding Onto Winter

And taking a little break.

I feel like I stepped out of a time warp, and somehow, it’s already March. It feels like the holidays were two minutes ago, but January was 12 weeks long, and then February was a single week, and now we’re here. Many people are hurtling full throttle towards spring, but I’m just not there yet. And not just because I relish in the slowness and quiet of winter.

Seattle winters—where the average high ranges from 46 to 52—are much milder than others around the country, so they feel more manageable and enjoyable than say, the winters in my hometown of Chicago, which turns into a frigid and miserable ice box for what feels like an endless amount of time. It also doesn’t hurt to live in a state with such incredible natural beauty—where getting outside feels more like a privilege than a chore.

And, of course, I know better than to rush spring because living in the Pacific Northwest means it doesn’t get reliably warm until June (if we’re lucky), so I’m not going to fool myself (yet) with fantasies of abundant blooms, sun-soaked landscapes, and light jackets.

For now, I’m going to relax in the grasp of winter, carve out more time than I think I need for joy and gentleness, and enjoy watching nature around me prep for the next season.

Where does this time of year usually find you? If you’re hankering for warmer and sunnier days, I see you. They’ll be here soon.

Photo by Robin Mathlener on Unsplash

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This week is my last week of vacation before starting my new job on Monday, and in an attempt to embrace the rare luxury of unscheduled time, I’m not writing a full edition of Second Breakfast today.

I’m off to go take myself on a date, or maybe get lost in a novel, or maybe go on a long meandering walk, or lazily read a bunch of articles that make me think, or maybe just melt into the couch and resist any pressure to be productive, active, creative, or thought-provoking. Things are just better when we don’t put so much pressure on ourselves, you know?

In the meantime, here’s some other writing that I think is worth your time. These articles are very, very good—for all sorts of reasons:

1. Ambition Won’t Save Us: Neither Will the American Dream

2. On Soup Internet, Everything is Cozy and Nothing Hurts

3. Why Everyone Feels like They’re Faking It

4. Rihanna on Motherhood

5. The Puzzling Gap Between How Old You Are and How Old You Think You Are

6. Artists in Residence at National Parks Use Their Work to Reckon with Settler Colonialism

Until next week,

Elizabeth