I have decided that January is the most difficult month to get through. Let’s look at why:

1. There’s the holiday letdown. New York was charmingly wintry in December when there were Christmas lights, the aroma of pine trees, and the joy of buying presents for people I love. Now, it’s just frigid.

2. Speaking of freezing, the average temperature in January here in the city is 31.5 degrees. This means it will be months before I can leave the house without a hat, scarf, and gloves, and it’s unlikely I’ll venture out to see something not hemmed in by walls.

3. My California trip fiercely reminded me how much of my healthy state of mind depends upon being outside and soaking up nature, which, as just mentioned, is a very distant prospect at this point. There’s nothing green to see anyway, even if I could get out.

4. February brings Valentine’s Day and the birthdays of pretty much everyone I know, so celebrations galore! January, not so much. Well, I get MLK Jr. Day off. Yippeeskip.

Alas, despairing does not help. We all need to band together to buoy each other’s moods. Some of my ideas:

1. There are a million movies I want to see right now, conveniently located in dry, warm theaters.

2. I can scrape together some money for classes—I will learn Spanish if it kills me! Plus, a Middle-Eastern dance class is a mere $12 a pop. Coined-scarf-shaking, anyone?

3. I hear tell of indoor swimming pools at Recreation Centers for cheap. I would love to be in the water again! (As long as there are no peeing, splashing children.)

4. If it actually snows, maybe I’ll let Repino drag me out for one of his infamous snow football games.

5. The new year is a lovely time to finally figure out where I am, why, and for how long. I anticipate many chilly evenings ahead to ponder these tricky questions.

See, that’s five good things to four bad things. Good wins! I feel better already.

Photo © Mike Rivera