I love winter. I LOVE IT. This morning when I got back from walking Una to school, I came in and said, ‘It’s freezing out there. Whats the temp?’ and Drew handed me his phone and I pulled up the weather and it said 20 and I said “20?! No way. It feels like 14” and - poof - the phone updated and a 14 popped up. I mean, that’s insane! I know the difference between 20 and 14 in my bones, and I still love winter.

I sometimes suspect I moved to Maine for the winter (though I did not know or admit that at the time) and when the solstice approaches, I feel like I’m not ready. And I know that’s crazy. I love summer, too, but I also want to hibernate; bring on the darkness and the cold and the invitation to turn inward. That is the medicine of winter, and I’m taking it.