Winter Coziness

My mom stands by the window, pouring boiling water from a gooseneck kettle as I slide open the door to our backyard, letting in a freezing gust of wind. I step outside and shiver in my down jacket, breathing in the crisp morning air. Gripping my camera, I capture shots of the snow that fell the previous night, and follow the chirping birds landing on the fence above the dirt mounds in our backyard.

Winter has been a time of worry, worldwide and at home. It's scary to think of how many people have been suffering during these times. Sometimes, I wish that I could be in a place where I would not hear the constant cries of agony on the news and that the pain and sickness that has slithered into peoples' lives would disappear.

Time has passed in many different ways for me. Some days, I feel that a week passed at the speed of light. Some days, I feel as though one hour was already a day. Winter has provided me with a desire to try new things, and although that has been a hit or miss at times, I enjoy the comfort of having been doing something, rather than lounging around, wasting time.

I find coziness in simple things—which has been a new experience for me. Stress easily seeps into the unexpected places of my life, and I have realized that it is my responsibility to ensure that I am feeling myself, without pushing the limits of how much I can accomplish. When I felt tired, it was myself who told me to take a break, drink some water, and breathe. On some days, I wrote reminders in my planner to watch a movie, or cozy up with fuzzy socks and warm tea while reading a book. No matter where I was, I found that in order to maintain my creativity, personality, eagerness, and sanity, I had to owe it to myself to take a break, and plan a treat for relaxation.

When you are feeling the urge to feel warm and carefree, I encourage you to stand up, walk to your favorite spot in the house, hydrate and surround yourself with your favorite things and take a moment to look outside or meditate. Winter is one of those seasons where most of us are going to want to sit back, and although that at times doesn't agree with our schedules, it's important to let go of any tension in ourselves that weigh us down. It doesn't have to be cold or snowing outside. Look out the window, pull out a journal, watch your favorite show, read a book, play an instrument, take some time to work out or meditate, whatever it may be— it's up to you to pour yourself a cup of coziness.

My Cozy Winter List

Stickers and Scrapbooks. It's very therapeutic to create something as unique as a scrapbook. It's time, heart and personality that brings life to an empty book—filling it with your choices of materials, your memories, and creative touch.

Plants. My green thumb has progressively grown less brown, and what has brought joy to any room in the house is at least one potted or hanging plant. My favorite color being green, it has made me nothing but joyful to see succulents, cacti, and fern thriving in rooms that lack personality. Although keeping flowers has still proved as a challenge for me, I've noticed that the patterns, furniture, and clothes that I have owned over the past few months have expressed the blooming colors of floral buds. Even with the distractions of waiting for snow in our house up in Cold Springs, I still find pleasure in caring for my plant friends.

Mugs and Dish-ware sets. My obsession for pottery and teacups has grown during the wintertime, and it's safe to say that I inherited a weakness for cute mugs from my mom. Whether it's a trip to Homegoods or a local thrift store, if we spot a floral or vintage cup, it's an automatic buy. The reason behind why it is that I love cups is the feeling that they bring, and the convenience of grabbing my favorite puppy mug to drink some tea.

Matcha. Whether it's a latte mix from Trader Joes, or pure, earthy matcha powder— anything with this flavor lights up my taste buds, especially during the wintertime. Accompanied with baked treats, it's delightful to push my To-Do's for later so that I can sit on the couch and drink my warm cup of matcha tea.

Happy Winter, everyone! I hope you can find ways to comfort yourself, even in difficult times. Stay warm, and do what makes you happy.

-Chloe