It’s a new year. While most people are setting goals and making resolutions, I’m still recovering from the holidays to truly focus on the fact that the calendar year has changed. Because of this, I find myself living into the seasons more than a date. So this post is for all of you who didn’t write down goals, have already missed your resolutions, or decided that January 1 is just another day.

Now that the holidays are over, we settle into the long, cold winter. Living in the midwest usually means that the month of January contains the coldest days of the year. We are past the winter solstice, so the sun is slowly returning to the northern regions, but that doesn’t mean its heat follows suit. Snow may cover the ground like a blanket of warmth against the frigid temps. Lakes and ponds freeze – even the edges of the big lakes, like Lake Michigan. Our breath fogs the air around our face as we struggle amid layers of clothing.

Spring feels like a long way off. We huddle amid blankets, turn up the thermostat, and drink as many cups of hot beverages as our bellies can handle. This chilly weather can make it challenging to feel like a new year is a new beginning. Who wants to go exercise when it takes ten minutes just to get enough gear on to go outside? And who wants to avoid carbs when our bodies crave warming comfort food?

This is another reason why I like to think of the new year beginning in spring. For now, it is time to hibernate, reflect, enjoy the comforts of home, maybe catch up on projects we didn’t have time to accomplish during the busy months of spring, summer, and fall. Like busy little beavers, we can organize cupboards we wouldn’t bother with while the warm breezes beckon us outside. We can huddle up with a cup of tea and settle down with a book to learn something new. Or we can pour yet another cup of coffee while we write down that book idea that’s been niggling the backs of our brains.

Winter is a great time of year. Now that the busyness of the holidays is over, we can focus on inside chores or personal development that will ready us for the new beginnings of spring that will come in a few weeks, er, months. So, instead of dreading these winter months, how will you make use of the cold January days?