I was at a plant warehouse sale a few days ago. We had to wait in line for about an hour before going in. Lucky for us, it was nice out that morning. The sun was beating down on us, a cool breeze was blowing, and there was a food truck selling biscuits and coffee. I was standing there taking it all in. I felt like this was the first Saturday that I actually went out and did something planned in so long — since the fall at the very earliest.

As I was soaking in the sun and laughing with my roommates, I realized that the winter had really done a number on me this year. Aside from my regular struggle with depression, add in the total lack of sunlight and ability to leave the house for long periods of time without freezing, and then sprinkle on the additional “you can’t see anyone because it is a pandemic.”I  did not realize just how bad I was feeling until I was standing on the side of the road in the sun waiting to buy some discount plants.

This got me thinking, how do I combat that? How do I stop myself from getting stuck so deep in a rut that I don’t even realize I am in one? I am still searching for answers to this question. So far, I have thought about looking at pictures or making a scrapbook. I think that would help remind me of when things were good and in turn make me realize I need some help in this moment.

That being said, I don’t know how to scrapbook, so I am more than open to any other suggestions!

The change in seasons is really amazing: warming weather, flowers poking their way out of the dirt, and trees becoming full and green again. All of these transitions are helping me transition out of my winter gloom — and the sad part is, I love winter. It truly is a beautiful time of year in my eyes, but this year hit especially hard (something I am sure so many others understand).

I think the best we can do now is watch the spring explode in front of us. Maybe it will inspire us to grow and become just as full of life as the trees and flowers that thrive in these months. I know that when summer comes, there is a good chance we will all be vaccinated or on our way to being vaccinated, so for now all we can do is soak in the sun under our masks and wait for better days.

Though, we shouldn’t let these good ones pass us by. I’ve decided to think of it this way: if my mask covers the bottom half of my face, I don’t have to worry about getting sunburned there. Looking for that silver lining, no matter how tiny it is, is really important to me. I just know soon things will be different and that the sun is going to shine on us for some many months, so we should do all the growing we can before it’s time to hibernate again.

How was this winter for you? What advice do you have to help you avoid getting into a seasonal rut? What are you looking forward to as the weather gets warmer?