What’s saving me right now

I first heard my father say, “February is the longest month,” long before I was old enough, wise enough, or experienced in life enough to have any idea what he meant. When I was small, and he would sigh and utter some version of that sentence during the final days of January, I probably thought he was testing me, making sure I knew February was actually the month with the fewest days in the calendar. I get it now. Despite being only 28 days long, February seems to go on forever. By February, I am craving light and warmth, neither of which is abundant. Forsythia comes into bloom, but otherwise, the land remains brown and bleak, and in my efforts to hasten spring, I buy tulips from the grocery store, which then look slightly out of place, ahead of their time perhaps, on my kitchen counter.

Anne Bogel, aka Modern Mrs. Darcy, writes a what’s saving her life right now post each February. I stumbled on her post from last year the other day, and today, on the eve of the longest shortest month, I am reminded to pause and look for the small things that are bringing me joy.

So, what’s saving me right now?

Nearly nightly fires in our fireplace. Nothing beats the warmth that slowly spreads beyond the hearth and takes the chill off the entire family room.

The orchids on my office window sill that just came back into bloom. Despite my best efforts, all of my orchids, at home and at work, are wildly healthy, and four of seven are covered with buds and blooms on their long, elegant branches.

My local library and the online catalog that allows me to request a hold and retrieve a book easily when it becomes available. Fiction. Fiction is saving me right now. The news and the world are hard. Slipping into a story for a bit at the end of most days is a welcome relief.

Soup. And a recently resurrected recipe for beer bread. Winter comfort food at its best. Dinner. Done in a flash. Leftovers for days.

Turtlenecks. You can never have too many. Well, I can’t. They are my go-to top from October- April.

Winter walks. I like them best on sunny afternoons but sometimes have to settle for overcast evenings. They are best when completed with a friend. Walking and talking- free therapy in the fresh air.

My friend Helen’s cycle/yoga class. She calls it Spoga. I call it the perfect workout in the perfect spot. Her studio has floor-to-ceiling glass windows on three sides, and it feels like you’re exercising in the treetops. Good music. Always sweaty and hard. Hard to think about anything but getting through that ride and stretch and that makes for a great brain break.

And writing. Writing is saving me right now.