Surviving January (by any means possible!)

With utmost apologies to Will Shakespeare, "now is the winter of [my] discontent". I mean, c'mon, is it STILL January? How is that possible, when I've had entirely enough cold for a full Winter season already? I guess it's not really a surprise, since I feel the same way every single year--after the holiday socializing and merrymaking have ended, the presents have been unwrapped, Christmas decorations have been packed away, and the festive twinkling lights adorning the neighborhood have gone dark for another year, it's just...blah. Now there's nothing to distract me from the disturbing thought that we have several long, frigid months to go before good old capri pants-and-sandals season shows up again.

Over the years, I've experimented with various strategies for keeping at least a light grip on my sanity (and circulation in my fingers and toes). Since my Grand Plan--the Winter Home in Bora Bora--isn't quite possible just yet, I've had to make do with alternative actions. Today, for example, I opted not to change out of my pajamas. Yep, true story. First thing this morning, I sprinted out to retrieve the newspaper from the driveway and decided that that brisk outing would do for my daily quota of fresh (20 degree) air. Later, I was having one of those moments when I wanted something yummy for lunch--something that was clearly not to be found in our kitchen. But watching the icy wind (I presume, since I was inside nursing my gigantic mug of hot coffee) blast through the bare trees in the backyard, I talked myself out of "hunting and gathering" (you know, just exactly like our forefathers did: driving to Chipotle and harvesting a nice Vegetarian Bowl with extra salsa) and into "making popcorn instead."

Even the polar bears...I mean boys...are suffering the chill. They gave it their very best effort today, trying to stick to their "Offseason Soccer Training Program" (I am NOT making this up--Derek created a clearly-written, comprehensive agenda, including shooting drills, offensive and defensive patterns, and a running regimen). But after about 15 minutes, they shivered back inside, complaining of not being able to feel their noses anymore. So I allowed them to follow a revised Indoor Practice Schedule, consisting of: a vigorous World Cup Soccer match on the Wii; an enthusiastic Ravens vs. Chiefs football viewing; and a calming Netflix DVD.  Hey, since hibernating isn't an option (could you imagine Derek not eating for 2 hours, much less 2 months?), I thought this showed great flexibility and ingenuity on our part. And the best thing? We could accomplish all of this...in our pajamas!