The dark days: when the sky is gray when you get up in the morning and the temperature drops below zero. You have to start scratching the windows of your car before you hit the road and there is a big chance that you get stuck in traffic. How do you deal with all that in a positive way?
Snow
Everyone who knows me, knows that I love snow. The snow calms me down. That is why I had such a wonderful week in Norway; snow, driving through quiet places, no signal on my phone, I love it. In the Netherlands that’s different. Here I have my motorcycle which I use to get to work. Then the snow is a little less pleasant. Unless I have a few days off, in that case the snow is very welcome!
The cold
I don’t mind the cold, but I don’t like wind. And it’s always windy in the Netherlands! Yet I like to make a short walk in the forest when it’s cold outside. Wearing warm clothes and bringing some tea. Then back home in the car I turn the heat up to its max and I crawl underneath a blanket. Yes, I have a blanket in the car during the winter months! So my tip: don’t avoid the cold but embrace it. It’s so much better!
My home
During the winter months there are always candles on the table and I get mulled wine on stock. The herbs you smell when the wine is warm makes me think of wintersport. Good memories, which also make it less annoying that it’s so grey outside.
And then of course there is Christmas, on Christmas I’ll go all out. A big Christmas tree, lights everywhere, fake snow and listening to Christmas music. I get so happy coming home after a long day of work having the lights already on.
Again, there is a nice warm blanket on the couch, I crawl underneath it when I have cleaned up my motorcycle suit.
Not always positive
But not all is good, I hate the rain. And it rains certainly 90 percent of the time! And that’s awful, because I’m traveling to work on my motorbike every day. I get stuck in traffic, everyone seems to be in panic and I arrive soaking wet at work (I wear a rain coat though, but still it’s not pleasant).
So it’s not true that I go whistling through the cold, in the dark months. But for the first time in my life I am positive and I am ready for it. Fortunately, I have someone next to me who understands me. If I need to I can do something for myself, like diamond painting and he will be doing something he likes. And we’re going to work on my Kadett soon, hopefully it will be able to drive before the summer, so I don’t have to travel to work by motorbike anymore.
Try to enjoy it
I can understand it if you don’t like the darker days. I know someone who hides on a warm island for a couple of months, until the weather here gets better. He explained it to me and I get it, how it feels for him. But I also hope that he can experience positive feelings to the less beautiful days too. Sometimes you need some help with that and that’s OK, accept help!
Happy place
The song of this week is Angels with dirty faces of the Sugababes. Today is Halloween, but we celebrate it Friday with friends. So this song is to get in the mood. The photo with this blog post was made at my ‘happy place’ in Norway. It’s in the mountains, with a lot of snow and no signal. Being together and in the moment!
Love, Renée x
