Winter is coming.

Though I’ve never watched it, I’m told this is something said in the Game of Thrones books and show, but it’s also something we say here in the North when the leaves change colors on the trees and begin to fall into our yards and roads and the squirrels begin to run by our windows with huge black walnuts in their mouths.

In our house, we also know winter is coming when our “escape house cat” runs out the back door and into our neighbor’s yard but then looks over her shoulder at us in shock as if it say “Did you know it is this cold out here?! Why is it so cold out here?!”

I won’t lie – those three words often set a feeling of dread in me, because I am not a fan of the dark and gloomy days of winter that seem to go on forever. I deal with depression so add seasonal depression disorder to that and I’m a bit of a mess some winters. Last winter this blog, and those I met through it, were one of the only things that kept my spirit from dipping as low as it usually does, though January and February were horribly long and lonely for me. I’m hoping that this year I’ll be able to slog through the darkest months of winter by conversing with the characters in my mind and working on my stories, as well as conversing with the fun characters I meet in “blogland”.

In addition to the dread of winter coming, though, is a sense of relief that it is coming because, alas, I am an introvert and an introvert likes nothing better than having an excuse not to leave the house. My son is also an introvert, which is probably why both our eyes lit up late one night last week when he said, “It’s almost winter.”

We were actually fairly giddy about the prospect of being “forced” to remain inside with a good book or a chance to create (him by building houses in Minecraft, me by writing or editing photos).

Of course, what we don’t like about winter is the same thing we like about winter – we’re stuck inside our house for months at a time. That can get boring pretty fast and eventually we brave the cold temperatures to walk around the block or get groceries or throw a snowball at each other, or anything, just to get away from the monotony of it all – and each other.

Looking at the positives of winter – hot cocoa, hearty soups, hot tea with honey, good books, family movie nights – helps us both feel better about the long periods of gloom and darkness. I guess looking for the positives in the aspects of life we don’t enjoy is one way to make it easier to face them. The other way is to eat chocolate and rock in the corner and cry.

There may be a little of both this winter if other winters are any indication and there is nothing wrong with that.

So, how about you? What’s winter like where you live? Cold? Dreary? Warm? Sunny? Let me know in the comments! I like hearing about the different weather where people live.

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