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The Walking Contradiction’s How-to Guide: Surviving the Winter

From the title of this month’s column you can probably deduce exactly what is going to be discussed: a hopefully humorous take on how to make it through the next couple months until the warmth of spring comes to rescue our souls from the dreariness of winter.

I’m going to be completely honest though, writing this month’s piece on January nineteenth, otherwise known as the eve of the presidential inauguration, it’s a little hard to find the humor.

While the more literal spring isn’t that horribly far away, we’ve got another long, cold winter ahead of us. You could benefit from knowing what is heat pump for house and why it’s essential during winter. So, while this month’s how-to guide can be used as a quick fix until the northern hemisphere shifts closer to the sun, it can hopefully also be used as something to warm your hands by until the longer winter breaks. I’m getting really tired of hearing the word “snowflake,” but I have a feeling we’re going to be hearing a lot of it even when there’s zero chance of precipitation so we might as well jump right in:

Via Cristen Rodgers
  1. Find what makes you happy.

I know, that’s a hefty first step, but if you can find the little things in your daily life that give you a flutter of joy or makes you smile even on the coldest days, hold on to it. For example: my plant hoard is probably going to keep growing, I’m going to try to paint more, and I’m going to be less reserved about singing along with my favorite songs.

2. Bask in whatever sunshine you can find.

That little kid that laughed at you in the grocery store, the person you saw bring food to a homeless person on your morning commute, the dogs that will gladly let you pet them. I know it’s easy to forget that there is good in the world when it seems like everything is dark and dreary, but look out for the little bits of sunshine peeking out from the clouds and soak them in.

3. Create your own sunshine.

Donate to a cause that is close to your heart, volunteer at the humane society or soup kitchen, clean out your closet and give your clothes to someone who needs them more. Don’t forget that you can be a ray of warmth for someone else!

4. Persevere 

If the grass and flowers can come back at full strength after devastating ice, snow, and frigid temperatures, so can you. Be resilient and carry on.

Good luck y’all.

Via Jessica Andriany

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