The Gray Days of Winter

18.  Finding Light in Winter by Mary Pipher, published in the New York Times, December 11, 2023. 

The thing I find difficult about winter is not the cold, not the snow, not the leafless trees, not all of the heavy, clumsy clothing necessary for going outdoors.  The thing I find difficult is the low, gray light.  I live in a part of the country that experiences particularly gray winters.  Day in, day out.  The grayness often comes as early as October, and does not let up until mid to late February when the days grow noticeably longer - making February one of my favorite months.  The reason for this grayness is almost entirely geographical, but I would never trade the geographical feature that brings all of the low gray.  Nor would I ever move to a warm, sunny location; those parts of the country where the inhabitants proudly announce that they hate snow.   So when I read this op-ed by Mary Pipher I looked at this morning's gray sky and felt good about it.   It's where I live.

I know I'm including too many pieces that I have read in the New York Times.  This is because there is so much great writing in the Times.  I guess my exposure to other journals is not enough, and my time to read them limited,  but I am always on the search for writing in less well known journals.  I'll keep looking.

I'm also considering adding another New York Times article from this morning, but because the topic is so politically fraught and a current source of outrage in the country, I am holding back on including that essay until I have had a chance to give it more thought.